Family Connections
by Saranwyn
Summary: Title sucks. Please ignore. The day InuYasha is born, Sesshoumaru gets a call informing him that his father is dead. The young demon must suddenly take responsibility for the family and reconcile his own feelings about his step mother and her son. Sessh-centric (mostly) Warning: Yaoi! Inucest! Don't like don't read! Summary sucks...
1. Chapter 1

Well, I was trying to give InuYasha fics a break a bit, but I just can't let it alone, it seems. Anyways, this is a little different than my usual, so, maybe it will be interesting :) Read and Review!

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Sesshoumaru got off the phone with the police. The fourteen-year-old glanced through the glass at his step mother, hugging her little infant. The demon swallowed hard as he put away his cellphone. His impassive mask threatened to crack. That…that disgusting **human** woman…he had known from the beginning that she would be his father's downfall. Steeling himself, he stepped into the hospital room to tell the woman the news. She looked up expectantly at him.

"Where's Taisho?" she asked. His eyes narrowed with hatred.

"Dead." The word came out sounding crass and coarse. Uncaring. Her eyes widened with shock and sorry. "The police say it was a car accident – he was speeding. Ran a red light. He was supposed to be having a meeting to handle some…demon business, today."

"You think he left his business to come be with me?" Izayoi asked in disbelief.

"That's exactly what I think, and I think they killed him for running out on him," Sesshoumaru replied. "The people he was dealing with weren't exactly friendly." She gasped, hugging her new son closer. _Why did you call him and tell him to come?_ Sesshoumaru thought bitterly. _My mother birthed me alone, at home, so that she wouldn't keep my father from his work. For centuries, women – even human women – have been delivering their children on their own. But you…you just couldn't, could you? Pathetic._ "C-come see your brother."

"Brother? He is no brother of mine."

"Sesshoumaru!"

"Don't say my name! You traitorous bi-!" he cut himself short. "Don't even look at me." Then, he spun on his heel and strode away. A nurse came out after him. Of course, it was a hospital for demons, so she was well aware of what he was.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," she called softly. "Your half-brother-!"

"That **thing** is not related to me." She hesitated.

"He will need you."

"I know."

"Will you abandon him?"

"Can I? Out of the lingering respect I have for my father, I will see to it that he knows what he is to the best of my ability…Is he healthy?"

"Quite."

"And? Anything else?"

"He's got dog ears – so you'll have to cloak him for a while, until he can do it himself."

"I'll give him a charm for it."

"I'm sorry to hear…about your father." He shot her a glare, and she looked away. "Anyways, there's something else you should know about half demons."

"What?"

"They have a cycle. Every so often – it's different for each half demon – they become fully human for a period, usually about a day or so."

"That's good to know, I guess."

"You're so young to have to deal with all this."

"Don't baby me – I do not require coddling." He went into the waiting room and sat down in one of the uncomfortable chairs they had along the wall. _Why did you abandon me like this, Father? For them? Did you truly get so careless because of a __**human**__ and her bastard son?_ His lip curled in hatred. _You were too wrapped up in her seductions. She called out to you, and you could not resist, and you died because of it. _A little later, Izayoi was rolled out in a wheelchair, a baby in her arms. Sesshoumaru forced himself to look at the little abomination nestled in the woman's warmth. It was a little baby boy with thick, silver hair, just like Sesshoumaru's and his father's. His eyes were gold, too, and out of his head sprouted two, furry, white, dog ears. Unceremoniously, he walked over to the two of them, bent, and picked up the infant. An unwelcome bolt of protectiveness shot through his chest. _That's just because I'm head of the pack, now,_ he assured himself. _It's nothing special. It's just an alpha's instinct recognizing a member of its pack._ He ducked his head, his eyes fluttering shut as he inhaled deeply, committing the infant's scent to memory. Of course, it would change a little as the half-demon matured, but it would stay basically the same.

"What are you doing?" Izayoi demanded, clearly agitated. Sesshoumaru's eyes flashed open to fix her with a piercing glare, but he chose to ignore her question in favor of growling lowly to the infant.

"He's the alpha of his pack now," the nurse spoke up. "He's simply familiarizing himself with the pack's newest member, and also making sure that the pup knows his alpha."

"My son is not a **dog** he does not need a **pack**," Izayoi responded with disdain.

"On the contrary," Sesshoumaru cut in. "He would be completely lost without his alpha, because – while he is not fully demon – he is also not fully human. This…abomination…straddles the line and must therefore learn to live as a member of both worlds and to reconcile his two natures. He – and you – will have to acknowledge both his demon half and his human half." The mother had heard almost nothing beyond abomination.

"My son is **not** an abomination!" she cried. "He is beautiful, and he is perfect in every way!" Sesshoumaru glanced disdainfully at the creature in his arms, ignoring the meddlesome tug he felt on his heart. His nose wrinkled slightly in distaste. It wasn't perfect. Even if it did favor its demon heritage a little more when it came to appearance, it was most definitely partly **human**. He handed the infant back to it's mother, his lip curling in disgust.

"He is the spawn of a perverted and unnatural union that should never have taken place," he declared definitively. "The poor wretch should never have been born."

"How can you say that?!" Sesshoumaru scoffed and shook his head. "Never speak like that about my son, again!"

"I will speak however I please, **human**, so make no presumptions to be able to order me around. Your pup is part of my pack due to his connection to my father. You, however, are not, so I have no obligations to ensure you're safety."

"Is that a threat?"

"Absolutely not. But what you don't realize is that you have stepped into a completely different world order, by mating with my father. You have stepped into the world of demons, and here, human laws are not always followed. You will need my protection, so you'd best curry my good favor while you still have the chance, because once this infant has been weaned of your milk, I have no need for you."

"You would make my son an orphan?"

"I would let someone else make him an orphan, and trust me, it is not out of any love I have for your son, but rather a duty to my pack, which he…regrettably, is part of."

"How can you speak like that? How can you be such a cold, unfeeling-?!"

"Remember what I said about currying favor?"

"We don't need you!"

"You do, even if you don't see it."

"You're fourteen, what good can you do us?"

"I am Sesshoumaru, descendent of the Great Dog Demon, and alpha of the single most powerful clan of pureblood White Inu's in existence. And what good can I do you? I can start by cleaning up the **mess** my father left behind."

"W-what mess?"

"I told you, he left in the middle of a business deal. Demons don't take well to being slighted for the frivolity of a **human's** needs."

"What kind of business deal?"

"Probably territorial."

"Why would they **kill** him over that?"

"Because they were probably already arguing, and this way they got what they wanted without having to negotiate it."

"The police will catch them."

"No, I doubt they will."

"How can you be so cold about it. He was your **father**. Did you hate him that much?"

"Hate him? No, I love my father. I just have to admit that he made some very poor choices towards he end of his life."

"You are…" she shook her head, at a loss for words. "I don't understand how someone as kind and genuine as your father could be related to someone as cold and heartless as you!"

"Please," the nurse stepped in. "You'll upset the pup if this continues." She cast an imploring glance at the new head of the White Inu clan. "Please, Sesshoumaru-sama…" He gave a stiff nod and looked away to signal he was done arguing. "Thank you."

"Why are you tiptoeing around him like that. He's a kid!"

"He's his father's heir, the alpha of the White Inu Clan, as he pointed out. His station demands respect, on it's own. And by demon standards, now that he's an alpha, he is no longer a child, no matter his age. He is to be treated like an adult, just as he will be expected to act like an adult," the nurse replied. "Besides, a demon's measure of respect is in power, not age."

"Is he all that powerful?"

"Yes. If you could sense his aura…" Sesshoumaru cast the woman a glance and she shut up. "Anyways, congratulations on the birth of a healthy baby boy. What's his name?"

"InuYasha – his father wanted him to be named InuYasha," Izayoi replied, smiling down at her child. Sesshoumaru cast another glance back at the two of them. _What am I supposed to do, Father? You left me alone with them. I feel so lost. How could you have just abandoned me, like this?_


	2. Chapter 2

Sesshoumaru lay awake in bed, trying to block out the piercing screams of his one-month-old half-brother. He could smell the change in the infant's scent. It was milder, less potent. _So this is what the human InuYasha smells like,_ he thought, glancing out the window and the moonless sky. The infant, without knowing it, was crying out for him. It tugged on his instincts. With a groan, he got out of bed and went down the hall to the nursery, where Izayoi was trying to calm her son. As soon as the demon came in, the pup reached for him, screaming even louder. Sesshoumaru gave a snarling growl and scooped the boy up out of his mother's arms. Almost instantly, InuYasha quieted.

"Hey! Give him back!" Izayoi snapped defensively.

"Don't presume to be able to order me around, woman. Besides, I just want him to shut up. He's terrified and **you** don't make him feel secure. I do."

"Of course I make him feel secure! I'm his mother!"

"But he knows that you don't have the power to protect him. He knows that I can keep him safest."

"You hate him! He's not safe with you!"

"But he's too young to know that." Sesshoumaru sat down cross-legged on the floor, beginning to analyze the boy's human form. Black hair – coarser than before – sprouted from his head. From beneath long, dark lashes peered grey-violet eyes, less attentive than their gold counterparts. And instead of his usual puppy ears, he had normal, rounded, human ears – probably less delicate than usual. The boy felt exceptionally fragile in his arms, as if he could crush him just by holding him too tightly. A small hand reached out and fisted a strand of Sesshoumaru's long, silver hair, but the grip was far weaker than usual. _Even as an infant, the contrast is striking,_ he noted.

"How long will it last? How long will he be like this?"

"I don't know. I hope not too long, because it's a pain that I have to sit here with him, and I have school tomorrow."

"If it's such a pain then don't do it."

"Well, I wasn't getting any sleep with him **howling** like that." Sesshoumaru rested his head back against the wall, closing his eyes as he held the boy closely. "You can leave, now. There's no point in you being here, and your presence annoys me."

"I'm his mother, and I don't trust you with him."

"If I wanted to harm him, I'd have done it already. An abomination he may be, but he's still my pack. I have a duty to him, especially while he's helpless like this. Besides, even if I wanted to kill him, there's no honor in killing him this way, while he's helpless."

"I'm not leaving him alone with you." Sesshoumaru sighed and stopped arguing. Clearly, he was getting nowhere with her. Slowly, he allowed himself to drop into slumber. Izayoi stared at the two of them, torn between wanting to get her son away from that **monster** that called himself Sesshoumaru and letting him sleep peacefully. _I should be adequate,_ she thought angrily. _I'm his mother! I don't…I don't understand why he would _**_need_**_ that heartless…_**_creature_**_!_ Even as she thought this, InuYasha squirmed to bury himself deeper into his half-brother's chest, grabbing onto his shirt with the hand that wasn't occupied with the other's hair. Sesshoumaru shifted slightly to hold the boy closer a soothing rumble emitting from his chest. _Right now, he looks…gentle, _ Izayoi realized. Then, she quickly kicked the idea out of her head. _Don't be a fool, Izayoi. He is nothing but a monster masquerading as a man. He's nothing like his father!_ She sighed and glanced at the clock. It was barely past sundown. _But he can't do anything if he's asleep…_she thought. Then, reluctantly, she stood and went to her own room, crawling into bed and falling asleep.

Sesshoumaru awoke to morning light streaming into his bedroom window. No. Not his bedroom. The nursery. That's right, he fell asleep holding that little brat to keep him quiet. He looked down and exhaled a sigh of relief when he noticed the boy was once again half-demon. At least it didn't last too long. Slowly, he stood up, holding the boy in one arm while he stretched, his joints popping. He felt the boy shift in his arms and looked down to see a pair of gold eyes staring up at him. The infant cooed, a smile lighting his features.

"Don't look at me like that," the demon grumbled. "Don't you know that I hate you?" His baby brother just giggled in response. "You shouldn't be so happy, idiot. Can't you see how miserable your life is destined to be? You poor wretch, not belonging anywhere." He left the room and went to Izayoi's room. She's just finished changing. "Here's your baby," he said, holding the child out. She took him quickly, casting a guarded glance at Sesshoumaru. "I have something for him…so you can take him out. Let me get it." The teen went to his room and picked up a necklace made of black and white beads with a few fangs interspersed. The fangs had been his own – something to hold down his Ki to the object – which was why it had taken a month to make the necklace. His gums were still a little sore from the re-growing of the fangs.

"What is that?" Izayoi asked as he brought it. He held it up, pouring his Ki into it. Now that he knew what the boy's human form looked like, he could fashion the charm to make him look like that. He slipped it over his head and silver hair turned black, ears became human, and eyes turned violet. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing. It's a cloaking enchantment. Like the one I use when I go out. He can't really go out looking like he usually does."

"Where did you get this necklace?"

"I made it. The beads I bought, the string is woven from a few strands of hair, and the fangs are mine." She cringed.

"Those are your teeth?!"

"Well, they grew back."

"But…that's not sanitary."

"It's perfectly sanitary – and necessary, in fact. The hair and the teeth serve to keep my Ki tied to the necklace. Otherwise, the enchantment would fall away the second I left." Izayoi frowned but made no other comment. "Now, I'm going to get ready for school." He turned and walked off, rubbing the soreness from his neck. Hastily, he showered, changed, brushed his teeth, and ate breakfast. Then, he grabbed his book bag and ran off to catch the school bus, throwing up a concealing charm. His hair turned black, the blue crescent on his forehead disappeared as well as the red slashes on his cheeks and wrists, his eyes turned brown, his ears rounded off, and his nails shortened. The door slammed shut behind him as he checked his watch. He was running late. Sesshoumaru arrived at the stop just as the bus was about to pull away. He got in, muttering a quiet thanks to the driver, and made his way to his usual seat – 12 – and sat down. A boy sat down next to him, flashing him a smile.

"Hey, Sessh," he murmured.

"Bankotsu," the demon replied. "How are you?"

"I'm alright. You?"

"Fine. A little sore. I had to take care of InuYasha last night. I ended up falling asleep sitting up." The human flashed him a sympathetic smile.

"You ready for the Chem test today?" Sesshoumaru nodded, though he hadn't gotten any studying in. He always did well in school, so he wasn't too concerned. Bankostu cast Sesshoumaru an uncomfortable glance. The demon offered him a small smile.

"What?"

"I just wanted to ask…um…what are you going to do…when you go into heat. I mean, that's coming up, right? And…you know…before you…um…well…you know, you had y-your father…to help you, but now he's…um…"

"He's dead," Sesshoumaru supplied. "And is that an offer, Bankotsu." The boy looked away, flushing slightly. "I don't know that you're ready for that kind of thing. After all, demons aren't like humans." Bankotsu, unlike most humans, was well aware of the existence of demons. He had even known Sesshoumaru was a demon without having seen him in his true form. That had been how the two of them had become friends, of course. "I just mean that we reach our sexual maturity faster. Well, and the fact that we go into heat at all. Humans don't do that."

"I know, but…I mean…I-I'm not too young." Bankotsu swallowed hard. "The truth is…" he exhaled deeply. "I'm worried about you. I mean, it's hard for you, right?"

"Bankotsu, I can find some demon to…relieve the symptoms with."

"Is it better…to do it with some stranger, than with someone you know?"

"I would probably hurt you."

"But…" Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, his nose twitching. His friend was uncommonly nervous. This wasn't, of course, the first time they'd talked about the heat. Sesshoumaru, on his first heat, had explained to Bankotsu that, much like dogs, demons went into heat about once a year, and during that period they had the driving need to mate. Symptoms included feverishness, soreness, a raging libido, and headaches.

Sesshoumaru's first heat had been two years ago, and both times since then, his father had guided him through it, allowing him to take pleasure in his body and then reciprocating. For demons, that was fairly commonplace. Neither Sesshoumaru nor InuTaisho had been a carrier – male demons that could bear pups – so there wasn't the concern of anyone getting pregnant. In such cases, it was often that the father would teach the son about sexuality and even give him his first experiences until they could find another partner. Less common but still not unheard of was a father who, if his mate died, would mate his son, if he was a carrier, or daughter. Unlike with humans, it was not disgusting or perverted, but rather produced strong, healthy children. It was actually quite natural that demons mated within family.

"But what?" Sesshoumaru asked softly.

"I w-want…"

"I don't go into heat for a while, yet. We'll talk about it more when it becomes pertinent, okay?" Bankotsu nodded, regaining a little of his lost confidence.

"Anyways, I just thought it would be better for you. I mean, intimacy is…well, it's a bigger deal for demons than humans. It's weird to be intimate with just anyone, right?" Sesshoumaru nodded. The truth was, he was actually relieved Bankotsu had offered. He didn't much like the idea of doing those things with someone he didn't know.

"But you know how I feel about human-demon relationships. I would never take you as my mate. It's already strange enough that we're friends. But I guess you're somewhat of a special case."

"Why's that?"

"You…understand things better than most humans. I don't know. You're just different." Bankotsu grinned. The bus came to a stop in front of the school and the two of them got off.

"If I'm so different, show me your true form one of these days." Sesshoumaru chuckled. Bankotsu was always asking to see his demon for. He didn't know what he was so hesitant to show him. He just always felt like he was somehow betraying himself, to let a human look upon him like that. So, as usual, he avoided giving his friend a clear answer, and instead hurried to his locker with a noncommittal sound in the back of his throat.

All throughout school that day, Sesshoumaru found himself barely paying attention. It wasn't a problem, of course, because he already knew most of the material, and he could teach himself the rest, but it wasn't like him to be so distracted. He kept thinking about his brother. They now had a connection through the necklace, so he could sense the boy's fluctuating emotions all day. One moment he was happy and content, the next he was frustrated then fearful, then happy, then sad, and then it would all repeat over and over again. It was giving him a headache.

When he got home, he found Izayoi sitting on the couch, reading a book and sipping tea, with InuYasha playing on the floor at her feet. He was still wearing the necklace. Irritably, he stalked over and took it off the boy, growling.

"He cried when I tried to do that," Izayoi informed him. "And he kept holding on to it, so I just let him keep it on."

"Let him cry, next time," Sesshoumaru snarled. He was about to leave when the infant reached out and grabbed onto his pant leg. He groaned and knelt down to pry those fingers loose. "Stupid little brat," he grumbled. The half demon sniffled.

"Oh, don't make him cry!" Izayoi sighed. Sesshoumaru stepped away and the infant began to bawl. "Sesshoumaru! Now look what you've done! I just got him settled down!" Sesshoumaru rubbed his temples and took out his phone. "What are you doing?"

"Hello? Bankotsu? It's Sesshoumaru. Remember how you wanted to see my true form? How about I come over to your place and show you?" He grinned. "I'll be right over." He headed to the door. "I'm going to a friend's house." Then, without waiting for a response, he walked off, slamming the door shut behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

Bankotsu sat on the bus, his fingers curling and flexing nervously. Today was the first day of Sesshoumaru's heat, and he'd said he would let him help. The truth was, the human was more than a little nervous. He'd never done anything like this, and even though he'd told Sesshoumaru it would be fine, he wasn't sure. To his surprise, the demon didn't seem interested in offering him any solace. Then again, the other boy had also warned him repeatedly that he would not be himself, and any kindness or compassion or restraint he might usually show would be completely gone. Suddenly, the demon's hand – warmer than usual – covered his own.

"Do you want to retract your offer?" he asked. Bankotsu swallowed hard and shook his head. The bus squealed to a halt and the two of them got off, heading to Sesshoumaru's house. The demon's hands were clenched into fists, shaking visibly with the effort to keep control of himself. His pace quickened. They got to his house and went inside. Izayoi glanced at the two of them, frowning slightly.

"You never have friends over," she commented.

"Today I do," Sesshoumaru replied tersely, already heading towards the stairs, his fingers locking around Bankotsu's wrist. He let the concealing spell drop and the human was winded with the sheer beauty of his friend. Unfortunately, there was no time to marvel, because Sesshoumaru was already pulling him up the stairs and down the hall to his room. Suddenly, Bankotsu found himself pinned against the door to Sesshoumaru's room, a hot, needy mouth pressed against his own. He gasped, his fingers curling against the door, as his friend's tongue forced its way into his mouth. _What a first kiss,_ he thought, his knees going weak. Sesshoumaru growled lowly claws tearing at his clothes to get them off, transforming the buzz of pleasure from the kiss into fear. _Th-this is…this is too fast!_ The human suddenly found himself being hurled onto the bed. His head cracked back against the headboard, but before he had time to reorient himself, Sesshoumaru was on top of him, grinding feverishly against him. He looked up into those gold eyes and a bolt of fear went through him. Pure, animal need filled that gaze. Suddenly, he felt not like a boy helping his friend in need but rather a small animal, trapped and held prey to a predator he had no hope of escaping.

_I need to get a little control here or he'll rape me,_ Bankotsu panicked. Fumbling, he reached down, undoing his friend's pants, and slid his hand in. Sesshoumaru's manhood was fully hardened, hot and throbbing in his hand. Hesitantly, he began to stroke it. Claws dug into his arm as the beast before him thrust his hips into his hand. Sesshoumaru's other hand grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked it, forcing Bankotsu's head back. Teeth, tongue, and lips attacked his throat, hard enough to hurt, but gentle enough – just barely – not to draw blood. Suddenly, the boy found himself flipped onto his stomach, his hips being hoisted up into the air. Fear overrode his ability to think, and he tried to squirm away, but the hands holding him were unmoving. Sesshoumaru snarled.

"N-no!" the word slipped out before Bankotsu could remind himself that he'd offered to do this. "Please, stop!" He finally managed to wriggle around enough to get kind of sideways and kick at Sesshoumaru's chest as hard as he could. The demon stumbled back a little – just enough time for Bankotsu to break free and leap to his feet. "Sesshoumaru," he murmured. "Th-this is rape…if you do it like this."

"You offered," the demon replied.

"I was wrong! I-I'm sorry. I…I can't do this! Please!" Sesshoumaru, with visible effort, took a shaky step back.

"G-get dressed and get out…now," he snarled.

"My clothes-"

"Borrow some of mine, just get out while I can control myself. I told you that you couldn't handle it. That you weren't ready," he snapped, his words laced with disdain. Bankotsu winced and rushed to obey, feeling like he'd just betrayed his friend.

"I-I'm so-!"

"Get out!" He finished dressing in some of Sesshoumaru's clothes and ran out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He went downstairs to see Izayoi sitting at the table with InuYasha on her lap.

"The last person I'd expect to see with Sesshoumaru is a human," she commented.

"I-I was wrong to come here. I was trying to help him…because of the heat, but…"

"The heat? What are you talking about?" Bankotsu's mouth shut. _She doesn't know…about demons going into heat?_ He wondered. _So InuTaisho never even told her? Which probably means he went to Sesshoumaru, not her. _

"Nothing. Forget I said anything." Then, he fled. Izayoi stared after him, confused. _He looked frightened. Did Sesshoumaru hurt him?_ The woman stood up and made her way up to Sesshoumaru's room, knocking on the door.

"Leave me alone!" the teen snapped sharply.

"Did you hurt your friend! There are rules about that, you know!"

"I know! I didn't do anything to him!" She tried to open the door to find it locked. Something was off about Sesshoumaru, his voice sounded strained, and it was rare he actually yelled. "Go away!" She scoffed and turned away. What did she care about it, anyways?

Sesshoumaru huddled on his bed, smirking bitterly. He'd known that Bankotsu could never have handled it. And here he'd thought the human was different. No, he was just stupid. He was arrogant to think he could actually withstand the force of the heat, even if it was a sweet sentiment that led him to offer. But because he'd dared to hope that he actually could rely on his friend, he was now left alone, in his room, to last the heat without any sort of relief. And even though he knew it wasn't exactly Bankotsu's fault, he felt betrayed by the other boy. He curled in on himself tighter, moaning in agony as achy pain spread through his body.

He didn't go to school the next day, or the rest of the week. He didn't come out of his room except when absolutely necessary. Bankotsu called and left several voicemails, mostly apologies and allusions to some sort of end to their friendship. Sesshoumaru couldn't brink himself to care enough to give it much thought, let along return the calls and work things out with the other boy. Izayoi stopped trying to talk to him or take care of him and took to just letting him take care of himself. Only once the woman was asleep in her room with her door shut did the demon get up to eat before returning to his room. The heat made him want to jump anything that moved, and the last thing he wanted to do was do **it** with his step mother. The mere thought of it made him shudder.

Friday night, he had just finished dinner when InuYasha began to cry. He growled, intent on just ignoring it, but the sound was so irritating, and apparently not loud enough to wake Izayoi. Huffing, he made his way to his baby brother's room and flipped on the light. The second he came in, InuYasha quieted to a snuffling whimper. Heaving a sigh he walked over and glanced down at the boy, who reached up for him. Reluctantly, he reached out and touched the boy's cheek, hoping to sooth away the last of those unhappy noises. To his absolute shock, his symptoms immediately eased a little. The infant now grabbed his finger, grinning. _Why is this helping?_ Sesshoumaru wondered even as he scooped up the child, holding him to his chest. A soft sigh escaped him. _I'll worry about why later…_he decided, carrying the boy to his room. Strangely enough, being in contact with the boy even lowered his libido. Bemused yet relieved, he carried the boy to his room and allowed himself to fall, exhausted, into bed. InuYasha giggled, grabbing onto a strand of his hair, as he was so fond of doing.

"Just sleep," Sesshoumaru murmured, allowing his eyes to fall shut. He accompanied it with a low rumble, nuzzling the boy's cheek. To his surprise yet utter satisfaction, the infant dropped right off to sleep, and the teen was not far behind, a slight smile on his face.

Sesshoumaru awoke a shrill shriek splitting through the still air of the morning. This, of course, instantly woke InuYasha, who also began to cry. Moments later, Izayoi came running, all but kicking open the door. Sesshoumaru sat up, groaning. In an instant, the irate mother had run over and snatched away her baby. The demon frowned, his brows pulling together sharply.

"What are you doing, taking him in the middle of the night?!" the human demanded. "Do you have any idea how **scared** I was when I woke up to find him missing?" Sesshoumaru rubbed his eyes and groaned as the infant started to cry.

"Don't scream. I was just cuddling him, okay?"

"C-cuddling…him?" Izayoi repeated. She had not been aware that the word "cuddle" was in Sesshoumaru's vocabulary.

"Yes, it made me feel…better."

"Better? Were you feeling bad? Are you going to get InuYasha sick?!"

"No, no, it's just a thing demons go through. Father never told you about it, but demons go into heat – like dogs, basically. It makes us sore, irritable, feverish…horny. For some reason or another, being near InuYasha eased my symptoms."

"Is that why you've been locked up in your room? And how could I have not known about it? I was married to your father!"

"He stayed away from you – said he had a business trip. The two of us would go and endure the heat together."

"Those business trips? He lied to me?! Why?"

"Because you would insist on helping him, and that is impossible. Humans can't endure a demon in heat. We would literally kill you with our…appetite."

"And you thin it's safe to be near **my** InuYasha, like that?!" Izayoi gasped. "You stay away from him, you monster!" Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed.

"I'm his alpha. It is not in your place, **human**, to tell me to stay away from him."

"I'm his mother, it is in my place to tell you whatever the hell I want!" Sesshoumaru leapt to his feet, lifting a clawed hand to strike the insolent woman down where she stood. She cringed, squeezing her eyes shut, but the blow never came.

"Get out of my room," he growled lowly, curling his hand into a tight fist. She turned and walked away, taking InuYasha with her. Sesshoumaru let himself go limp as he slumped down to the bed again. That ignorant, arrogant woman! What had his father ever seen in her. And for the millionth time since his baby brother's birth, he found himself cursing his father. _Why did you leave me alone with these two? How could you just abandon me, like this? Why for _**_her_**_? Why for a human?!_ _Were you that desperate? So desperate you'd die for her? Was I not enough for you?_ He shut his eyes against the building tears threatening to spill over onto his cheeks. What had he ever done to feel so alone? Why did he deserve to be so miserable? What higher being had he royally pissed off to get stuck with that creature and her spawn? His struggle against the tears collapsed, and a single, pearly droplet squeezed past his lashes to run down his cheek. Now there was no stopping it, more came, flowing down to stain his pillow. He had not cried in years. He hadn't dropped a single tear at his father's funeral nor at any point since then. And now, all the pent up frustration and sorrow and loneliness and hatred and betrayal came pouring out of him in an unstoppable tsunami of emotions that shook his frame with gasping sobs.

Izayoi, sitting in her room, heard the crying, and a pang of guilt ran through her. She knew it had to be hard for the teen, losing his father, trying to take on so much responsibility, living with a woman he'd never really liked. She knew that InuTaisho would've wanted them to try to get along – and he would've wanted her to take the first steps – but Sesshoumaru was so infuriating, it was hard to keep her cool. The way his eyes passed over her as if she were an insignificant bug, the way he spoke to her as if he were a king addressing a peasant, the way he just assumed she couldn't even begin to understand demons just because she wasn't one…it all drove her crazy. And it made it so easy to forget that beneath all that was a somewhat normal teenager, struggling to cope with a very hard situation.

Part of her wanted to go in and comfort the boy, to hold him in her arms and give him the loving mother that she knew he'd never had. After all, Keiko – from what she'd heard – had been fairly cold and distant. No one could say she was neglectful – she had fed Sesshoumaru, clothed him, gave him toys, oversaw his education when he got older, and made sure he had basically anything he could want. But from what she'd heard, Keiko hardly smiled and almost never complimented the boy. She didn't fuss over his injuries or bake him birthday cakes or sing him to sleep. She didn't let him sit in her lap, she didn't read to him, she didn't do all the things normal, human parents were expected to do. And she'd disapproved of most affection Taisho managed to show the boy, which was little considering his busy schedule. And when she thought about that, she could almost forgive Sesshoumaru for being the way he was. She could understand that he knew no other way to be, and she wanted to go to him and show him how his mother should've treated him. But she didn't think the gesture would be welcome, so she just stayed in her room and pretended not to hear.


	4. Chapter 4

InuYasha smelled his brother come home from school before the door even opened. His whole face lit up as he ran to greet the older boy, flinging himself at his legs. The nineteen-year-old scowled down at his baby brother, who was now attached to his right leg.

"Welcome home!" InuYasha piped up.

"Get off of me," came the low growl. It was basically the same every day. The five-year-old's lip quivered and his eyes widened impossibly.

"B-bu-but…" he sniffled.

"Cry, and I will give you something to **really** cry about," Sesshoumaru snarled, reached down to pry the little being off of him. InuYasha, however, took this as an invitation to fling his arms around his older brother's neck, planting a huge kiss on his cheek. "Get off of me before I skin you alive!" Sesshoumaru snapped, letting his concealing spell drop.

"Sesshoumaru!" Izayoi gasped. "How dare you speak that way to your brother?!"

"Tell him to get off of me, and I won't have to," the demon replied, finally getting loose of the little nuisance and putting the span of the room between them in about half a second.

"He's just glad to see you," the human sighed.

"Well, he can show it by leaving me alone."

"Don't be so heartless!"

"Raise that…**thing** with a little discipline and respect."

"He's your brother! Don't talk about him like that! How can you say these things?!"

"Easy. That **abomination** shouldn't even be alive. He should learn his place and just leave me alone. Want some more? You are the reason Father is dead! You might have well as stabbed him in the back! It's pathetic creatures like **you** that seduce their way into the hearts of truly noble beings only to destroy them! The world would be better off if you and your **spawn** were dead."

"Sesshoumaru! Go to your room this instant! That is no way to speak to family!"

"You're not my family. And that **creature** is getting exactly what he deserves." He sneered elegantly and headed up the stairs to his room, which had been his destination all along, anyways. He felt the connection between he and his brother as Izayoi put the beads around his neck, and he heard them leave a moment later.

InuYasha, for his part, was sniffling and wiping away tears, even as his mother picked him up, put the beads around his neck, and carried him to the car. He hated it when they fought, which was almost constantly. He loved them both so much, but they couldn't seem to get along. From the necklace, he could feel Sesshoumaru's pain, his anguish, his frustration. _Did I do that to him?_ he thought sadly. He'd never meant to upset his brother, it was just that every time he did anything nice, the demon never seemed to like it.

"Don't listen to a word he says," his mother was telling him as she buckled him into his car seat. "He's just a bitter, heartless…ugh…I can't stand him."

"He's not…" InuYasha whispered.

"What?" Izayoi asked.

"He's…he's just…he's hurting…so much…" The woman sighed, massaging her temples.

"Just because he has some problems doesn't mean he can treat others just any way he wants," she explained patiently. The half demon nodded, though he didn't really understand.

"Where are we going?"

"Just out for a bit. We're going to let your half brother cool his head for a bit." InuYasha didn't say anything, but he didn't think Sesshoumaru needed to be alone. Whenever he was upset, it helped to have someone come hug him. So wasn't that what Sesshoumaru needed, too? He pouted as they drove away. This was a fairly common occurrence though, so he knew better than to complain.

Sesshoumaru sighed as he worked on his homework. They'd been gone for three hours now, and it was starting to get dark. InuYasha had perked up after a while and was now quite content. He shoved the irritating little pup to the back of his mind, refusing to concentrate on the emotions flowing through the bond. After a while, he began to wonder when they were coming home. Not that he wanted them to, but his protective instincts were slightly irritated by the fact that he didn't know where his pack member was. He concentrated on InuYasha's feelings, just to check up on him, and a bolt of fear ran through him. The pup was terrified and distressed. Sesshoumaru leapt to his feet as the emotional bond sent a wave of fear so powerful it almost made him dizzy. Throwing up a hasty concealment spell, he ran off, his nose searching for any scent of his brother.

He checked the park first, but the scent was about an hour stale, so he followed it down the street. His pulse was hammering in his own ears, and he couldn't get it to slow down. Every instinct in his body was telling him that his pack needed him that very instant, and **he**, the alpha was failing miserably. He skidded around a corner and ran out into the street, ignoring the police and cars and crowd. He barely even noticed the car accident. All the saw was his baby brother sitting in an ambulance, a blanket wrapped around him.

"InuYasha!" he gasped, covering the distance between them at an inhuman speed. A policeman tried to tell him to stay away, but Sesshoumaru just ignored him. The five year old – sobbing – looked up and saw him.

"A-A-Anikiiiiii!" he wailed, reaching for him. Ignoring everything he'd ever claimed to believe about his own relationship with the boy, Sesshoumaru swept him into his arms, a sigh of relief washing over him to discover he was unharmed. For a long, long while, all InuYasha would do was sob, and Sesshoumaru just held him and kissed his head and steadily calmed his own pounding heart. Then, he turned to one of the policemen standing awkwardly to the side.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"Apparently the boy ran out into the street. His mother followed, and while he came away unscathed…she…um…well, her body is on its way to the morgue now," he explained. "My condolences."

"But InuYasha was unharmed?"

"The child? He's fine."

"I'm his older half-brother, Sesshoumaru, by the way." The policeman nodded as the demon produced his driver's license.

"Nineteen. You do realize this means you're the child's legal guardian, now?"

"I understand that." He glanced sideways at the boy in his arms. Part of him wished he could be more sorrowful over Izayoi's death, for InuYasha's sake, but he really couldn't. That despicable woman had finally gotten what she deserved. He only regretted that it couldn't have been at his claws.

After a long, grueling talk with the police about parental duties and the like – during which it was revealed the police would be keeping an eye on them for a while, Sesshoumaru was allowed to take his brother home. By that time, InuYasha was fast asleep in his arms. He carried the boy up into his room and laid him down before crawling into bed next to him. He wrapped his arms around his brother and closed his eyes, exhaling deeply. _Just me and this creature,_ he thought. _What a mess this is. What am I supposed to do with this pitiful boy? I should just kill him now and put him out of his misery. The one person that could ever love him is dead. _InuYasha wriggled closer to him, nuzzling his cheek. _Stupid half-breed. Don't act like this with me. Don't you know I hate you?_

InuYasha woke up to find himself in his brother's arms. At first, he was elated, contentedly cuddling further into Sesshoumaru's arms. The boy was shocked when Sesshoumaru didn't complain or argue, instead holding him closer. He became aware that the demon was gently stroking his ears. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, frowning.

"Where's momma?" he asked innocently. Suddenly, he gasped. "Wait! Momma, the car-!"

"InuYasha." The boy fell silent. "Your mother is dead." For a long time, InuYasha just stared at him in silence. Then, the half demon seemed to realize what he'd said. He drew back, his ears flattening back against his head.

"Wh-what? No…no, she can't be…!" he cried. Sesshoumaru sat up fully.

"She was not immortal, InuYasha. She was hit by a car, and she died," he deadpanned. Tears welled up in the younger brother's eyes.

"No!"

"Don't be stubborn. Humans die. It is a fact of life."

"B-but…!" Now the boy began to cry. "W-w-was it m-my fault?" The demon scowled, cuffing his idiot brother over the head.

"Don't be stupid. How could it be** your** fault?"

"B-b-because it's **my** fault she ran into the street!"

"Nonsense."

"R-really?"

"The woman made her own choices. You are not to blame. That much is for sure." Suddenly, Sesshoumaru found himself with an armful of InuYasha as the young half-demon sobbed into his chest.

"If Momma's gone…! I…I…!" he trailed off, wailing too hard to finish. Sesshoumaru sighed and embraced the boy, again.

"So annoying," he muttered. "Quit crying already – you're getting my shirt wet." InuYasha paid him no heed and continued to sob. "Just…ugh…stop." His younger brother just clung to him tighter. The older demon sighed and tried a different approach. "Hey…shhhhhh…hush, now," he whispered, stroking the other's ears. "Shhhhh…it's going to be okay."

"Don't leave me!" InuYasha begged. "Please stay with me!"

"…I will. I'm not going anywhere," Sesshoumaru found himself promising. "I'm not going anywhere, so just calm down, okay?" After a long, long while, the half-demon managed to stop crying. The second he did, he found himself being pushed away from his older brother, who was standing and moving across the room in the blink of an eye.

"W-where are you going?"

"To make funeral preparations. It's my duty to at least get her in the ground." _Maybe I could just have her cremated and skip the whole ceremony. _

"But you're coming back?" Sesshoumaru hesitated in the door, closing his eyes against the pitiful, hopeful tone of his brother's plea. He turned to face him.

"Yes, InuYasha. I'm not going to leave you alone." The demon turned away. _Not yet, at least._

* * *

Sorry for the LOOOONG wait on the update, I didn't have my computer with me, for a while, plus I just have gotten busy preparing for college. As usual, R&R please! :)


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry for the wait on the update, I got stuck in Cleveland with no computer until the day before yesterday!

* * *

InuYasha groaned and opened his eyes but didn't move, choosing instead to stare up at the ceiling. Nine years since his mother had died and he'd been living alone with his brother. He'd come to abhor mornings. Suddenly, the door was thrust open and he winced as the reason for his hatred of mornings walked in and yanked the blankets right off of him.

"Get up!" Sesshoumaru snarled, not bothering to be careful of his claws, one of which caught on InuYasha's leg and drew and angry, red line down his calf as the blankets were pulled down. The teen whimpered and tried to go back to sleep, but he found himself bodily picked up and thrown off the bed. "Up! Now!" his older brother ordered. "I have work!" The twenty-eight-year-old kicked the boy hard in the ribs. "Come on!"

"I'm getting up!" InuYasha snapped, finally recovering the wind that had been knocked from his lungs. He leapt to his feet, avoiding a cuff to his ears. "Watch it! Those are delicate!"

"Shut up and stop whining! I don't want to be late!" And before InuYasha could retort, the demon was leaving the room, slamming the door shut behind him. The teen rubbed his stomach and began to change, pausing to note the bruise forming already on his ribs as he changed his shirt. _Dammit, Sessh!_ He thought angrily. _That's seriously domestic abuse!_ The thought entered his mind that he could probably call the cops. Sesshoumaru was definitely abusive. The boy shook his head. He would never win the court case. Sesshoumaru was too eloquent – and could afford a good lawyer – and he never left any marks that didn't disappear within an hour._ Besides…where would I go? I'd have to hide my true form all the time, and…_he exhaled deeply, his ears drooping sadly. Despite the abuse and the hatred, he couldn't leave the older demon. He scowled and jerked his shirt down over his head before changing into a pair of jeans.

By the time he got to the bathroom, he could already smell that breakfast was on the stove. As he started to brush his teeth, he heard a movement in the mirror and looked to see Sesshoumaru standing at the end of the hall, watching his reflection. As ever, the demon's face was perfectly unreadable. InuYasha looked away and finished quickly. When he turned back around to leave, his brother was in the kitchen, eating an apple, already dressed in a business suit for the day.

"I made you an omelet," he monotoned. The younger sat down to eat, avoiding the older boy's gaze. "If you woke up on time, I wouldn't have had to do that, so there's no point in getting sore over it." InuYasha flinched. "Don't be such a baby. It's not like I **really** hurt you. Well, I have to go, so go on and get to the bus on your own. If I get a call telling me you're late to class or skipping, I swear you will wish you'd never been born." Then, he walked off, grabbing his briefcase and putting up a concealing spell as he went. InuYasha chuckled humorlessly.

"I already do," he muttered as the door shut, unaware that his brother heard him. He sighed sadly. It hadn't always been this bad, had it? There had been a time when Sesshoumaru was gentle and even kind. He could remember it. His older brother would hold him when he had a nightmare – just to get him to shut up, he was assured – and sometimes even do little things like brush his hair for him. And when the heat came around, he let InuYasha come home and just cuddle with him basically for the rest of the day. But that had changed around the time he turned nine. InuYasha couldn't place his finger on the exact day that in changed, but before he knew it, Sesshoumaru hardly spoke to him unless it was to spit cruel words at him. The idea that he might actually spend extra time with him became simply preposterous. When he had nightmares, he just let him wake up on his own and cry himself back to sleep. And when he was in heat, he sent InuYasha to stay at a friend's house for the entire week, giving him privacy to handle it any way he saw fit in InuYasha's absence.

Now, the boy got up, put his plate in the sink, and grabbed his necklace, slipping it on. The concealing spell sprang up, transforming his appearance. Now, he was strong enough to do the spell on his own, but Sesshoumaru didn't trust him, claiming he had horrible control, so he wore the necklace anyways. The half demon left, locking the door behind him, and headed to the bus stop. On his way, he met up with his best friends, Miroku and Koga. The three of them always walked to the stop together.

"Hey, Yasha!" Miroku greeted him. Koga – a wolf demon – took a more animalistic approach, lunging at him to knock them both to the ground. InuYasha kicked him off, shooting the other demon a glare. "Bad morning?" the human asked.

"Yeah," InuYasha replied sulkily, standing up. Koga snickered.

"You get your butt handed to you by your brother, again?" InuYasha replied by punching him in the face.

"Shut up! You wouldn't be any better off against him!"

"Aww, you sad cuz no one wuvs you?" Koga crooned, dodging a kick.

"Hey, come on you two. We don't want to miss the bus!" Miroku intervened, placing a hand on InuYasha's shoulder. "And you've done enough, Koga. What InuYasha's going through is serious. You have no lack of love from your pack, but InuYasha's own alpha takes every chance he can to slight him. For a dog demon, that's a big deal." Unlike most humans, Miroku knew about demons. In fact, he knew more about them than most demons did. He came from a long line of monks and had spent his life learning about demons. In the earlier days, monks had served as warriors against demons, nowadays, they were more like ambassadors between humans and demons. They helped guard the demons' secret and also ensured the humans' safety.

"Fine, fine," Koga relented, heading off towards the bus stop. InuYasha followed him, hanging a bit behind with Miroku.

"InuYasha, are you okay?" the monk asked softly.

"I'm fine."

"But-!"

"I said I'm fine!" Morku sighed, shaking his head. His friend could be so stubborn. "…But thanks for asking."

"You know, even though Sesshoumaru is your alpha, it doesn't mean he has to be the only person in your life."

"What are you talking about? I have you and Koga!"

"You say that, but sometimes I think the only one you really care about is Sesshoumaru. It's not a bad thing to care about him – it's your instincts, after all – but you can let someone else in, you know."

"I don't know what you're talking about." They got to the stop and fell silent. Koga glanced sideways at InuYasha. In spite of all his teasing, he actually cared for the other demon, and though he didn't know what it was like, he could imagine how it would feel to be rejected by his pack. It wasn't the kind of pain he'd have wished on anyone.

"Sorry," he muttered under his breath. InuYasha cast him a glance and then looked away, shaking his head in a silent "it's okay." The bus came and they got on, all sitting together. InuYasha leaned his head against the window, imagining that once upon a time, his brother sat in the same bus. _Did he have friends that rode with him?_ he wondered. He really couldn't imagine it – Sesshoumaru was too good for something as ordinary as **friends**.

They got to school and InuYasha got off the bus. Almost immediately, a girl jogged over to them. She greeted the Koga and InuYasha each with a casual punch on the arm, while she ignored Miroku completely. The monk pouted at her back for a moment before asserting himself.

"Hello, Sango," he greeted her, his gaze fixating on her backside. She spun around and he quickly looked up at her face, grinning.

"Miroku," she commented blandly. "Why are you always hanging around?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm drawn to your radiant beauty!" The teen pressed a hand to his chest melodramatically. _SMACK!_ The girl slapped him hard across the cheek. "Ahhh…the price we pay…" Miroku sighed ruefully. She rolled her eyes and turned back to InuYasha.

"How are you, Inu?" she asked amiably.

"Fine," the half-demon replied, starting to head into the school. "You?"

"I'm pretty good." Suddenly, she stopped walking, her cheeks turning bright red. "**Miroku**! Where the **hell** is your hand, right now?!"

"Sorry! It's an instinct! I can't help it!" the monk apologized, pulling his hand away from Sango's backside, receiving yet another slap. "It was just so firm and supple!" _SMACK!_ Sango was easily the most athletic girl in school. The definition of a Tomboy, she wore pants and shirt all the time and was the captain of the Kendo team. She was quiet and did pretty well in class, too, and as far as anyone could tell, she was pretty much a loner. Even when she hung out with InuYasha, Koga, and Miroku, she kept to herself, mostly. InuYasha left them arguing behind him while he headed to class, wrapped up in thought.

"InuYasha!" he barely heard a voice call as he reached his locker. "InuYasha! Inu**Yasha**!" He turned, blinking. "Hi!" One of the girls from school, Kagome, ran up to him.

"Hi," he replied distractedly. For a long moment, the girl waited for him to say something more, but he didn't.

"Um, how are you?" she pressed for a moment.

"Fine. You?"

"Wonderful! Want to know why?"

"Um…wh-why?" InuYasha really couldn't care less about why she was in such a good mood, but he knew she'd tell him either way, so there was no point in trying to avoid it. He gathered his books and started walking to his class while she chattered animatedly in his ear. He zoned out her prattle about her good grade and going to a movie with her friends and whatever else was on her mind. In his head, he was revisiting the dream he'd had that night. Like most of his dreams, it had involved his brother. It had been so warm and comfortable. In his dream, they had been cuddling, wrapped in each other's arms. His older brother had been whispering sweet assurances in his ear, promising to stay with him forever and saying how much he loved him.

"Are you listening?" Kagome demanded suddenly. "InuYasha! Are you listening?"

"Um…what?" She sighed and shook her head. "I-I mean…yes."

"Whatever. You should really be nicer, InuYasha!"

"Sorry." They sat down in their first class, and InuYasha let himself lose himself in his dream, again. He almost never paid attention in school, and for that reason, he didn't do too well, but he also didn't really care. Most of it was just stupid stuff, anyways. Sesshoumaru always lectured him for being a delinquent, but then again, Sesshoumaru always found something to hate about him, anyways, and school was too boring to pay attention through the whole thing. _Maybe I have ADHD,_ he mused absently, staring out the window. _No doubt Sessh never had these problems._

"InuYasha!" he blinked as the teacher snapped his name. He looked up to find the classroom empty. "The bell already rang." He stood up, gathering his books. "And you should pay attention. I catch you daydreaming, again, and I'll give you a detention!"

"Yeah, whatever." It wasn't like he'd have gone in to detention if he'd been given one. He'd skipped plenty and Sesshoumaru had knocked him around for it, but nothing more ever happened. When they had to go see the principal, when things got that bad – they inevitably did – Sesshoumaru would just politely request that Inuyasha **not** be expelled, and the principal would reluctantly agree.

He was almost late to his next class, but he just meandered slowly in, anyways. No doubt he would get a note sent home, again, and Sesshoumaru would take him to the basement for a "lesson," but instead of dreading it, he found himself eager for it. He didn't enjoy pain, nor did he **like** getting beat up, but he felt like if Sesshoumaru **actually** took the time to discipline him, at least that meant he cared, right?

During lunch, he went up to the roof to be by himself. Usually, he sat with Miroku and Koga, but that day, he felt like being alone. In a week he would go into heat for the first time. _Is Sesshoumaru just going to let me suffer on my own, or…or what?_ He wondered. _If being close to me eased his symptoms, maybe the reciprocal works as well…not that he'd let me get close to him. Maybe it's better that way. I don't want to jump him, and I just might, if I'm in heat._ Somewhere deep down, he dared to foolishly hope that his brother would stay with him during the heat, even though he was sure it wouldn't happen. _How did he handle it before me, I wonder?_ He rested his chin on the rail, staring out at the sports fields.

He could imagine the feel of Sesshoumaru's lips pressed against his – he'd dreamed of it often enough – their bodies molding perfectly together. He could practically feel the silky strands of his brother's hair gliding through his fingers. He could hear the soft, panting breaths, feel them warm and moist on his skin. _God, this sucks,_ he thought, turning to sit with his back against the rail. _Why Sesshoumaru of all people? He's my brother! It's wrong! And we're both guys, and he hates me, and I disgust him, and he's a jerk and…and why does _**_he_**_ have to get me so hot under the collar?_ He exhaled deeply, trying to force his body to stop reacting to the images of his brother filling his head. That lean, deceptively strong form. Alabaster skin, flawless in every way. Tantalizing, gold eyes, so like his own and yet so different. _Stop!_ He told himself, but he couldn't help it. The Sesshoumaru in his mind had his shirt open fully, exposing his chest, and was already working on the button on his pants. InuYasha whined softly, pawing at the bulge growing in the front of his pants.

Sesshoumaru sat at his desk, reading financial reports for the month. Suddenly, a bolt of arousal stabbed through him, and he groaned. _Seriously, InuYasha,_ he thought angrily._ Why are you getting horny in the middle of school?_ For the billionth time since his brother had been born, he cursed the bond they had due to the necklace. _I wonder what's got him so aroused,_ he mused as he tried to focus on the report. As the finance Director of one of the biggest energy companies in Japan, he had a lot of work to do.

"Kagura!" he called to his secretary. She looked up at him. "Take a coffee break and shut and lock the door." She stood up and walked off, doing as she was bid. Once alone, Sesshoumaru scooted back in his chair, groaning. Wincing in distaste that he was actually **doing **what he was about to do at work, he unzipped his pants and pushed them down enough to remove his half-hard arousal. He squeezed his eyes shut as he wrapped his long, slender fingers around his member. Out of nowhere, he recalled the feeling of his father's hand on him, and he gave a violent shudder. Yes, that would work for material as good as anything else.

He leaned his head back and imagined his father. Tall, broad shoulders, large, strong hands. He is figure was imposing and elegant at the same time. Calloused fingers used to run up and down his body gently, teasing reactions from him. They toyed with his nipples, skimmed up and down his thighs, stroked the sensitive, red stripes on his cheeks, arms, hips, and legs. He bit his lip to muffle a soft moan as his hand picked up its pace. He imagined firm muscles beneath his hands as he felt up and down the older demon's body, memorizing the hard curve of his jaw and well-defined ripples of his muscles. Low, panting growls echoed in his ear, the only voice that could make him submissive.

Sesshoumaru keened softly as he came into his own hand. For a long, long moment he just sat there, panting at his desk. Then, grabbing some tissues, he began to clean himself up, wrinkling his nose in distaste. He pulled back up his pants and zipped them, allowing his heart to settle back to its regular pace. _Seriously, InuYasha…_he thought, thoroughly irritated. _You really _**_do_**_ need to wean yourself off that necklace._ Standing, he went and unlocked his door, leaving to go to the bathroom and wash his hands thoroughly. Then, he returned to work as if nothing had happened.

InuYasha sat, dazed, on the roof, his pants pulled down slightly, his hand covered in his own seed. That had to have been one of the most intense orgasms of his life. _Maybe it was because I've got part of Sesshoumaru with me, right now,_ he thought, struggling to clear his lust-fogged mind. Slowly, he rearranged his pants, again, got up, and went to the bathroom to wash up thoroughly before class. _I'm so pitiful – no wonder he hates me._ _Lusting after my own brother like that…it's disgusting – not to mention illegal, _he thought as he shuffled to class and sat down, for once early. He laid his head down on his desk and closed his eyes, allowing himself to fall asleep for the rest of class.

When he got home from school, the house was empty. That was to be expected – Sesshoumaru worked long hours every night. Still feeling gross from his jerk-off session on the roof, the half-demon went to the bathroom and took a shower. After scrubbing himself thoroughly, he got out and dried off before changing into his pajamas. He glanced at the clock. It was only four. He probably had at least three or four hours before Sesshoumaru came home. _I can't believe I did that kind of thing at school,_ he thought dismally. _I mean, I've gotten used to the dreams and fantasies in the shower, but at school…this just sucks. What would Miroku or Koga say, if they knew about how I really felt about Sessh. Which I don't even really know. I mean, there's lust, but there's no way I love that bastard – right? I mean, he's a total jerk, and he's got to have the worst personality I've ever seen. He's arrogant and cold and indifferent and cruel…and the way those hateful, gold eyes stare down at me. The way those thin, sensual lips sneer disdainfully at me…_InuYasha gasped as he felt his body start to heat up. _No way! No way in Hell am I getting hot over him, again!_ He ran out to the backyard to practice aikido, just to get his mind off of his brother._ Not twice in one day!_ He focused on punching and blocking and kicking, perfecting his stances. He would exhaust himself, if he had to…

"InuYasha," a voice growled lowly. He stopped, realizing his legs and arms were aching. He glanced up at the sky, it had been at least two hours, and the sun had almost set in the sky. He froze, staring at his brother, who looked absolutely livid.

"Sesshoumaru…" Suddenly, the demon lord was lunging at him, his fist slamming into the boy's cheek.

"Control…your…stupid…hormones!" he snarled, each word accentuated with a punch or kick. InuYasha was left winded on his back in the grass.

"Wh-what?"

"What were you doing, getting so aroused at school?!"

"Y-you know about that?" InuYasha was stunned, too stunned to be angry about just having gotten his butt handed to him by his brother.

"Of course I know! The necklace connects us. I feel **everything** you feel, idiot!" InuYasha turned bright red, his jaw dropping open.

"Wh-why didn't you **tell** me?" he stammered. "I-I mean…earlier…you should have…"

"Shut up! Never, **never** do that, again!"

"Well, I can't help it!" InuYasha finally recovered, jumping to his feet. "I-I mean, it's not like I can control that sort of thing!"

"You'd better learn to." The half-demon dodged a rake from his brother's claws. He lashed out with a foot, but Sesshoumaru sidestepped it easily. He lunged at the older boy. Sesshoumaru moved aside and kicked him in the head as he went past, but InuYasha managed to grab his foot and pull hard. The two of them toppled to the ground, fighting and clawing viciously at each other. Sesshoumaru's teeth sunk into his brother's arm, rolling on top of him. InuYasha wriggled and squirmed in vain, trying to get out from underneath him, but to no avail. The older demon tore his mouth free and leaned harder on his brother to force him into subjugation.

"Get off!" InuYasha snarled. "You're such a bastard! Such a pompous, hateful, annoying-mmph!" He was cut off by Sesshoumaru's mouth crashing down on his, all teeth and tongue, biting his lips and making it impossible to breathe. InuYasha froze in shock, and Sesshoumaru yanked back, his eyes wide. In an instant, he was up and disappearing inside, leaving a very confused InuYasha on the ground. _He kissed me?_ He thought, shocked. _Wh-why the _**_hell_**_ would he do that? To shut me up? To tease me? No doubt he knows how I feel about him…right?_

Sesshoumaru slumped against the door to his room, holding his head in his hands. He was panting hard, his clothes were rumpled, and there were scratches – quickly healing – on his arms and chest. _What did I just do? I kissed him?! _He shook his head. _I was just shutting him up – my hands were occupied. That's all._ He closed his eyes, trying to calm his breathing. _That's all it was._


	6. Chapter 6

I don't know about y'all, but I think it's about time for a lemon in this story. If this ain't your cup of tea, don't drink it! Just kindly push the back arrow and find another story! For everyone else, please enjoy. R&R! :)

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"InuYasha, you're being called to the principal's office," the teacher announced, glancing down at the note that had just been handed to her by a student. Someone in the class snickered. Of course, InuYasha got sent to the principal's office on a regular basis, but this time he actually hadn't done anything to merit it. And on a Friday, no less. He stood up, frowning deeply and sighing heavily.

"Does it say why?"

"No, just that you're to go immediately." The half demon sighed heavily, gathered his books, and walked off, praying he didn't get Saturday school…again. It figured he'd get punished even for things he didn't do. Could his life get any worse, right now? Ever since that day in the back yard, he'd done his best to avoid Sesshoumaru. The older demon, however, seemed to be making a point of getting in his way. He'd even insisted they eat dinner together every day since then. And a few times, he even showed up at InuYasha's school to pick him up, only to go right back to work afterwards. However, he didn't talk to him more than necessary, and never did he mention the kiss or the circumstances that had led to it. Instead, he chose to just stare at him with a heavy, unreadable gaze.

InuYasha knocked lightly on the principal's door and waited for a response. _I wonder what he thinks I did, this time,_ the half demon mused. A moment later, he heard the principal's voice telling him to come in. The principal was seated behind his desk, fingers linked on its surface as he stared at the student that walked in the door. InuYasha's jaw dropped open when he saw who was on the other side of the desk.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" he croaked out.

"Please have a seat," the principal instructed the teen, who obeyed nervously. "Your brother was just saying that you would be unable to attend school next week."

"Yes, we have a family trip planned," Sesshoumaru confirmed. The poor teen was absolutely floored, but he just nodded as if he knew what was going on. _Does this mean he's not going to leave me alone for my heat? _For some reason, this comforted him. If he was perfectly honest with himself, he was terrified of going into heat. He didn't like it for the same reason he hated his human nights. Something was happening to his body, and he couldn't control it, and it made him weak and vulnerable. _But if Sesshoumaru stays with me…he makes me feel so safe and secure, even though I know he hates me._ _Even if he beats me and throws spiteful words at me…his presence is so reassuring._

"Alright then. I'll arrange for his teachers to have his work given to him."

"That won't be helpful. He will be unable to do schoolwork."

"Oh. May I ask why?"

"It's a private matter. Just know that he will be indisposed, Miyoga-sensei." (A/N: Eh, kind of breaks a rule of mine, but Miyoga isn't a demon in this one. I try not to change the characters like that, but…ehhh…I couldn't think of another good principal, so…here it is.) Sesshoumaru's face was perfectly unreadable.

"O-oh…alright then. I'll have them have his things ready for him when he gets back," the elderly man acquiesced, receiving an approving nod.

"Thank you for understanding, Miyoga-sensei. Please believe me when I say this is of utmost importance."

"Well, Sesshoumaru-san, you were a model student and you are now a responsible adult; you wouldn't have him skip school for nothing." Sesshoumaru stood.

"InuYasha, we're leaving. I'm taking you home, now." The teen stood, trying not to look at his brother, and left without saying a word. The full demon followed him as he went to his locker and packed his bag. Then, the two of them went to the car.

"Wh-what's going to happen?" he dared to ask as they buckled. "Next week?"

"You've finally decided you can talk to me," his older brother commented softly. "You are going to go into heat for the first time. Half-breeds are slow to mature, so yours is later than mine, but I was informed that it would otherwise be the same. If that is the case, you won't be able to sit through school."

"I-I know that, but…I mean…um…"

"You want to know if I will stay with you. Honestly, I'm not sure, yet, InuYasha. Up until this point, your presence has eased the symptoms of my heat, but I have no idea if that is reciprocal, and…and it is possible that now that **you** are going into heat, your presence will not have quite the same affect."

"Oh. So…"

"So we'll start the week in the same room, and if it's bad, I'll kick you out of my room and lock the door."

"Do you…I mean…do you always…by yourself." The demon's eyes narrowed. "Not that I care. I was just curious."

"Yes. This Sesshoumaru is not promiscuous. Only one person has ever been intimate with me, and I don't foresee that changing anytime soon."

"Who?" the question slipped out before InuYasha could stop it. To his utter horror, he felt jealousy start to pool in his stomach. His older brother shot him a quizzical glance.

"Not that it's any of your business, but InuTaisho." InuYasha's jaw dropped open as he gawked shamelessly at his brother, but Sesshoumaru was offering no further explanation.

"A-as in our f-father?" the younger brother finally managed to stutter.

"Yes. InuTaisho is not a horribly common name."

"Y-you mean he…and you…um…"

"During the heat – to relieve the symptoms." InuYasha's throat tightened and he shifted uncomfortably, looking away. _But he doesn't want to do that with me,_ he thought, his heart sinking a little. _He did it with dad, so he's fine with incest and homosexual relationships – it's just _**_me_**_ he doesn't want._ The teen bit the inside of his lip. _Stop being such a girl about it, Inu. You've always known he hates you. You're a _**_half breed_**_. Just because he was kind to you on occasion when you were a kid doesn't mean anything. You're a disgrace and an abomination._ They got to the house and got out.

"Why am I here?" InuYasha asked.

"The heat starts tomorrow morning. I wanted you to get to ask any questions you had before that happened, hence I took a half day for the both of us. As your alpha, I am obligated to prepare you for the heat."

"Did you love Taisho?"

"Of course, he was my father."

"No, I mean…did you love him…romantically? I mean, you just said the two of you…um…you know…."

"We had sex. And I never bothered to classify my feelings for my father. They were what they were. We were intimate. I enjoyed it. He enjoyed it. We trusted each other and cared deeply for each other, as father and son should. He took care of me as alpha should – though he went further than the strict line of duty – and I did exactly as he desired in return, as a loyal beta should."

"You make it sound like he owned you." They went inside and let their concealing charms drop. Sesshoumaru chuckled.

"Don't get me wrong, we had our spats. Just because I did my utmost for him does not mean there were not times that I did not argue and fight with him. I did. Bitterly at times. But always out of duty to him. To the pack. Is there anything else you want to know?"

"Um…why did you stop…earlier…why did you stop keeping me around?"

"I didn't want you around. Isn't it obvious?"

"B-but before…it was okay."

"It was. But it stopped being okay."

"Why?"

"It just did. You were a child then. You stopped being a child." Still mystified, InuYasha nodded, as if he understood.

"O-okay. Um…what is the heat like?"

"Hell. Your body gets achy all over. You get incredibly horny. You ache. You get irritable. Your control abandons you." Sesshoumaru shook his head.

"When was your first heat?"

"When I was eight."

"What? So early? Is that…normal?" Sesshoumaru smirked.

"Most demons have their first when they turn ten, but I was early because the more I was **around** someone in heat – my father – the faster my body matured."

"Is that why you stopped being around me – so you wouldn't make me go into heat early?" InuYasha asked tentatively. His older brother scoffed but denied nothing. "Did you ease Taisho's symptoms, being near him?"

"Not the way you eased mine. I eased his symptoms because I gave him what his body was craving. You gave me relief without that."

"Why?" Sesshoumaru made a funny noise in the back of his throat.

"There are…a few possibilities." The half demon waited for more explanation, but none came. Instead, his brother seemed to be preoccupied scrutinizing the countertop. _Don't be stupid, Sesshoumaru,_ he told himself bitterly. _That wasn't the _**_only_**_ possibility. The chances of…of _**_that_**_ is…minimal._

"Like?" InuYasha prompted. Sesshoumaru's eyes remained where they were.

"As a new alpha, particularly because you're such a vulnerable beta, my instincts to protect you, when you were near me, might have overridden my ability to feel the heat's symptoms. Or perhaps it was something about your half-human nature. Or…" he trailed off. "I don't know." InuYasha frowned slightly. His normally confident older brother didn't look like he believed a single word he was saying. He was about to press the issue a little more when his brother unconsciously licked his lip, causing his eyes to rivet to his mouth. The half demon swallowed hard as memories of the kiss rushed back to him. The taste of the demon's mouth, the heat of his body pinning him down, the intensity of his glare…InuYasha shook his head to clear it.

"I'm going to get started on homework," he said, earning him a skeptical glance, but before Sesshoumaru could point out that InuYasha **never** did homework voluntarily, the boy was rushing up the stairs to his room. The full-blooded demon frowned slightly, but in truth, he was glad that InuYasha was gone instead of demanding more answers. It was obvious that he hadn't been convinced by his answer. _I will never accept _**_that_**_ explanation,_ he vowed inwardly.

The next day, InuYasha awoke to the feel of his body burning up from the inside out. Whimpering, he curled himself into a ball. Achy was an understatement. His whole body was wracked with pain, his muscles screaming with every movement. The door opened and his eyes snapped up to the being that had entered. Suddenly, he was moving, before he could stop himself. He flung himself at his older brother, making to pin him to the wall and thoroughly ravage him, but the older demon let out a severe bark, halting him dead in his tracks. Their eyes locked, bleeding red with lust as they both panted heavily. InuYasha's whole body was **screaming** for his brother, demanding it, and it was only a matter of time before he would give in.

Sesshoumaru couldn't take his eyes off his baby brother. Never before had he felt the symptoms of the heat to acutely. He'd come hoping to gain relief, but in fact, just the opposite had happened. InuYasha's presence made everything worse. The smell of his arousal, the sound of his heart and breathing, both rapid and eager, the pull of his youkai on Sesshoumaru's. It was too much. The commanding bark that had escaped his lips had taken up the last of his restraint. _How did father do it?_ he wondered dimly, trying to force away the lust. _Did he feel this way…with me?_ He saw that his brother was at the breaking point, too, clinging on as best he could, but if his beta instinct weren't so keen on obeying Sesshoumaru, at that moment, the demon had no doubts that the younger would've jumped him already. _I will _**_not_**_ loose control,_ he told himself, moving forward a step and reaching out to place a hand on his brother's chest. _I'm just going to do what father did. He's my beta, I'm just instructing him. It means nothing._

"Bed," he grated out, pushing the smaller demon backwards. He took a deep breath. "This is how it's going to work. We're going to use each other for the heat." InuYasha's breath caught in his throat, anticipation crawling through him. "After the heat is done, you will **not** mention what has taken place – **ever**. You will top first, because it's your first time." The half-demon's jaw dropped open. _Sesshoumaru is letting me top? Why? I mean…_ "As your alpha, it is my duty to make sure you understand how things work. Father had me top first so I would understand what was happening to me when **he** topped, and I suppose I'll do the same." InuYasha nodded probably too eagerly and moved forward, crushing their mouths together.

Any chance of resisting the heat fled both of them as their lips connected. Clawed fingers tore at their obstructing clothes, nearly shredding them in their haste to get them off. Their bodies pressed together, arousals rubbing against each other feverishly as they bucked as much as they could without disengaging their mouths. Sesshoumaru let out a feral growl, dominating the kiss by thrusting his tongue into the younger's mouth. InuYasha whined and wrapped his arms securely around his brother's neck, sucking on that invading appendage enthusiastically. Sesshoumaru's hands worked up and down his body, groping and memorizing every inch of his body. It felt so amazing. His long, slender fingers, his soft, pliant mouth, his hot, ragged breath…InuYasha felt Sesshoumaru shift their position and the next thing he knew, he was kneeling over his older brother on the bed, the older demon's legs linked around his waist.

"H-how…?" he managed to ask uncertainly. Sesshoumaru smirked up at him and arched his hips while flexing his entrance suggestively.

"Follow your instincts, but you put in the anus, if that's what you were asking." InuYasha swallowed hard and leaned down for another kiss, his hands working up and down Sesshoumaru's body. His brother went rigid under his touch, his eyes flying wide open. A half-groan half-sigh escaped his lips.

The feel of InuYasha's hands on his body brought back countless memories. His skin was slightly calloused, trailing gently up and down his torso, memorizing every curve and muscular ripple. It was just like Taisho's touch. The same went for the **way** InuYasha was kissing him at that moment, as if he were the most delicate, precious creature on earth. That hot, wet mouth trailed down to his jaw to his neck, sucking lightly there – not even hard enough to make a mark.

"Sesshoumaru," the boy breathed, and for a moment, the older brother actually thought it was Taisho calling his name. Tears filled his eyes and one rolled down his cheek. Inuyasha drew back, shocked. "Sessh…"

"Don't stop. Get on with it already. You won't hurt me, so just…continue…Just…use some lubricant, okay?"

"L-lubricant?" Sesshoumaru smirked and sat up. "What are y-AH!" The half-demon screamed with pleasure as Sesshoumaru's mouth engulfed his hardened arousal. He laved it with his tongue, being sure to spread his saliva thoroughly over it. Suddenly, the boy came hard into his mouth. Sesshoumaru drew back, choking, as his brother's seed filled his mouth. He spit it out, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. InuYasha was hardly cognizant, whimpering softly at the loss of the heat of Sesshoumaru's mouth. The full demon lay back down.

"There – lubricated." InuYasha pinned him down, growling lustfully. Without any further ado, he lined up his member at his brother's entrance and began to push in. Slowly, oh so slowly, he filled Sesshoumaru's passage. The older man let out a small cry of pleasure. Even this felt the same as when Taisho had done it. "T-Taisho," the name slipped past his lips. To his shock, this earned him a powerful thrust and a ferocious kiss.

"No!" InuYasha snarled. "It's not Taisho. This is your brother, right now." Sesshoumaru had his eyes squeezed shut in ecstasy, but now his brother yanked on his hair. "Open your eyes! Look at me!" He obeyed, scowling.

"Don't presume to order me around, whelp. Just because you're topping does not mean you're dominant." He saw InuYasha falter, his thrusts slowing and gentling, again. Sesshoumaru closed his eyes again, imagining that it really was Taisho taking him. "But I didn't mind the pace you had before." The half demon sped up again, though most likely for his own pleasure than Sesshoumaru's demand. Soon, he was slamming into the body beneath him for all he was worth, his lips leaving sloppy kisses all over any inch of skin he could reach. Sesshoumaru linked his fingers into InuYasha's hair, leaning his head back as he enjoyed the pleasure coursing hotly through his body.

"Oh, Sessh…" InuYasha whimpered. "F-feels…ah…so…so good." Sesshoumaru smiled lazily, caressing the half-demon's silver locks gently. He could feel his brother nearing the end, climax. He was more than ready to move on to the next part. The half demon came with a sob of pleasure, howling out Sesshoumaru's name. Hot liquid washed over the demon's insides.

"That's twice you've come without satisfying me," he purred, pushing his brother out of him. "I think it's my turn, **brother**." In an instant, InuYasha found their positions switched. Sesshoumaru tilted his head curiously and then flipped the half demon over so he was on his knees. "Spread your legs, little one." InuYasha whined and spread his legs, shocked at his own actions, but he couldn't stop himself. His whole body was throbbing with need and he ached to have his brother deep inside him.

"Please," he keened, pushing his hips up further.

"What a wanton, little boy you are," Sesshoumaru purred, laving his fingers with his tongue. "Because it's your first time, I'll prepare you first. Say thank you."

"Ah…I d-don't want preparing. I want it all in me…right now!" The words sent a pang of arousal straight to the older brother's groin and he tried to blink the lust from his eyes. "Sesshoumaruuuuu!" But the demon had made up his mind. He pressed one finger into the younger's twitching entrance. _Why do I care?_ He mused to himself, mainly to distract himself from his own arousal. _It's just relief for me, so why do I want to prepare him?_ He added a second finger, noting the frustrated growl that emerged from his brother's throat.

"Let me do this or it will hurt," he barked, struggling with his heat symptoms. A lesser demon would've already been slamming in and out of that body, probably on his third or fourth climax. But Sesshoumaru was nothing if not controlled. He wriggled his fingers around, scissoring them as gently as his growing need would allow.

"I don't **care** if it hurts!" InuYasha panted heavily. "I just need-!" Sesshoumaru put a hand over his mouth, stopping the flow of words.

"I know," he whispered. "I know what you need, but just hold out a little longer. I promise, you **will** be satisfied." He didn't bother searching for the boy's prostate – that could wait for later. Instead, he focused solely on stretching him enough for a third finger. Once that was accomplished, he began to pump three fingers in and out of his brother's entrance, all the while murmuring gently into his ear. "Ready?" he asked at length.

"Yes! Sessh…please! Now!" The demon pulled back enough to line up his member at the younger's twitching hole. He rubbed the tip up against it, enjoying in the tortured moan the action drew from the half-demon's lips. But he couldn't tease, any more, even if he wanted to. The heat demanded he move on immediately. His hips snapped forward, impaling InuYasha in one, clean thrust. The teen threw his head back, howling in pain and pleasure, begging for more. Sesshoumaru didn't hesitate to draw back out and slam back in, quickly building up a rapid pace. He angled his hips slightly and – "AH! There! More!" InuYasha screamed. The man smirked and continued to abuse that bundle of nerves.

"That's your prostate," he whispered. "Do you know what that is?"

"Anatomy lesson…later!" his younger brother bit out, thrusting back against him. Sesshoumaru turned the boy's head, kissing him hard, his tongue mimicking what another part of his body was doing. InuYasha moaned loudly, utterly torn between twisting more to better accommodate the kiss and pushing back to get more of his brother inside him. Sesshoumaru's hands were all over his body, stroking down his sides, toying with his hardened nipples, running up and down his ears, rubbing his thighs – everywhere all at once, heightening the pleasure tenfold. The half demon had lost his ability to actually speak, by this point, the only thing emerging from his mouth being animalistic moans and grunts – not that Sesshoumaru was complaining. On the contrary, he relished in the sounds emitting from his brother's lips, allowing them to carry him higher. Suddenly, InuYasha clamped hard around him and he **howled** his ecstasy, throwing his head back as he came for the third time that morning.

"That's three times," Sesshoumaru growled, keeping up his relentless pace and wrapping his arms around his brother to support him. "And that one was without me even touching you down here." He reached down and grabbed the younger's half-hardened member and pumped it to bring it back to life. "Good boy," he purred. "Clench around me. So tight. Mmmm…" He felt himself nearing the edge and let out a breathy sigh. "It's been so long…" he murmured. Heat coiled tightly in his stomach, almost to the breaking point. With a single, deep thrust, he came, exhaling sharply and rocking gently until he came down from his high. The two of them collapsed together, Sesshoumaru on top of his brother, still inside of him.

"Aniki…" InuYasha whispered.

"Don't worry. We're not done. No where close to done, brother. There will be plenty of that, this week." InuYasha felt his body react to the sultry promise, heat flooding through his lower regions. Sesshoumaru inhaled deeply, pressing his nose into the crook of his brother's neck. He could smell the arousal, spurring his own. "Are you ready for round two, **InuYasha**?" The boy shivered violently, a smile creeping over his features. He twisted beneath the man's body and crushed their lips together. The full-blooded demon smirked and pushed himself up onto his knees to rearrange them into another position...

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Aaaaand, you know what they say about too much of a good thing, so the lemon (and the chapter) ends here. Expect an update soon! (I hope!)


	7. Chapter 7

InuYasha awoke, for the first day in a week, without the driving need for sex or an achy pain in his rear end. He also awoke, for the first day in a week, without the comfort of his brother's body curled around his. Groaning, he sat up, realizing how filthy he was. _It must have ended sometime last night, and Sessh left immediately,_ he thought a little sadly, though he didn't know what else he could've expected. Blinking sleep from his eyes, he glanced at the clock. Nine AM. Usually he was up earlier than that. Slowly, he got out of bed and headed to the shower, not even bothering to put clothes on. He opened the door to find his brother there, drying his hair, steam billowing about him, only a towel slung low about his waist. (A/N: cliché, but tell me **who** doesn't want to see Sesshoumaru, dripping wet, dressed in only a towel?!) InuYasha's mouth went dry as memories of his brother's body flooded his mind. _God, he's so…sexy,_ he thought. _I hardly noticed it due to the heat, but he…his body is perfect. Slender, lean, muscular, elegant, gracefully proportioned, small bones, those amazing red stripes…_

"Stop ogling me," a soft baritone sneered, breaking him from his thoughts. He looked away, a heavy flush painted over his cheeks.

"I-I…um…" before he could actually collect the words to say something, his legal guardian was brushing past him, shoving him into the bathroom and shutting the door. InuYasha sighed and took a deep breath…which was when he noticed how heavily Sesshoumaru's scent hung in the air. _Oh, good lord,_ he thought plaintively as he felt his body start to react. _That spicy, fresh, citrusy scent…I could just live on this scent…_A shudder ran through his body and he realized living with Sesshoumaru just got a whole lot harder.

Growling he turned the water on cold and got in. _Get a grip, Inu. He's a jerk and he hates you, so don't even go down that road – not now, not ever. _He squeezed his eyes shut. _You've always expected too much of him. Isn't it enough he houses you and feeds you – though I suppose in a few years when you hit eighteen, he'll just kick you out onto the street…_The half demon took a deep breath, shaking his head. _What the hell do you care? He's a bastard. Can't wait to get away from him! _He viciously scrubbed soap into his hair, so hard his nails dug into his scalp until it was raw and aching. Then he moved to the body soap, not caring that he was leaving long scratches up and down his arms and chest. _Dammit, I can't get the feel of him out of my skin! _A soft whimper escaped his lips.

"Hurry up!" his brother shouted through the door, causing the boy to stop abruptly. He looked down to see red swirling down the drain with the bubbles. _Dammit._ He turned off the water and watched as his scratches healed before starting to dry off. By the time he got out of the bathroom, Sesshoumaru had eaten breakfast and was on his way out the door, despite the fact it was a Saturday. "I'm putting in some extra hours at work," he informed his younger brother as he left. The door slammed shut. InuYasha sighed and went to the kitchen to find himself some breakfast. After breakfast, he decided to call up Miroku. He only had to wait two rings before the monk picked up.

"InuYasha?" he asked.

"Hey," the half demon replied.

"I guess this means the heat's over."

"Yeah, ended last night."

"How was it?" InuYasha swallowed hard.

"Um…"

"What?" Miroku pressed. _Dammit, I didn't think about what to say. Should I mention what happened with Sesshoumaru? Even if it's a normal demon thing, it's not the same for humans. He might be disgusted. Plus…well…I'm no longer a virgin – in any sense. And I don't know…if I feel comfortable talking about it, right now._

"It was fine."

"Really?" his friend asked, surprised. "I'd heard it's like Hell."

"It was."

"But…?"

"But what?"

"You sounded like you weren't really finished. You said it was fine. So if it was like Hell but it was fine…"

"W-well…um…"

"Did your brother lock you up in your room?" InuYasha's mouth went dry.

"Yes."

"Ah, that had to suck, just lying there, waiting for it to end. But cheer up, I've heard the first one is the worst."

"Um…he…he was in my room…with me." At first there was only silence as Miroku tried to comprehend what he'd just been told. Then…

"WHAT?! He…he…you mean you two…um…"

"Yeah…a lot. It's normal for demons. I mean…T-Taisho did it with Sessh, too, so…um…you know…it's…I think it's fine."

"Well," Miroku tried to sound casual. "That's a step forward in your relationship."

"Not exactly. He's back to usual again, today."

"You mean even after…?"

"Yeah. To him it was just a way to manage the heat. It didn't **mean** anything."

"And to you?"

"W-well, it's not like I **like** the bastard, so I don't care."

"…I see. Wanna come over to play some videogames?" InuYasha let out a soft sigh of relief, glad the conversation had switched directions.

"Absolutely. I'll be over in ten." He hung up and went to his room to pick up his necklace. A small shudder ran through him. _Sessh is connected to me through his…_he thought before slipping it over his head. _He made this for me, and insists I wear it even though it connects us…_ The concealing spell dropped over him, and he left. A soft sigh escaped the half demon's lips. _Man, I need to get out more often,_ he thought wearily. _Staying cooped up in the house or school like this wears me down. I can practically _**_feel_**_ Aniki's presence in the house, even when I'm alone. Maybe things really _**_will_**_ get better when I leave. The only question is can I handle four more years of living in this hellhole? _

He got to Miroku's house and knocked on the door. A few moments later, the teen opened it, grinning. InuYasha found himself being tugged inside and all but hurled onto the couch.

"I forgot to tell you, there's this new girl in school – transfer student or something," Miroku began. "Her name is Kikyo. She comes from the country, and she is **hot**!" InuYasha blinked, shocked by the sudden onslaught of information.

"Um…so?" he asked, frowning.

"Oh…I just got excited because she called. She's coming over to study. I figured you need help catching up, too, so we could all study together. Oh, and she's a priestess, so you don't have the wear the necklace." InuYasha slipped off the necklace, putting it in his pocket with a sigh. He'd been looking forward to just relaxing with his friend. Then again, Miroku was right that he **did** need to study. "Let me get you something to drink. Want some soda?"

"Just water." Miroku hesitated on his way to the kitchen.

"Depressed about your brother?" he asked softly.

"What?! No! Wh-why would I be upset about **him**?!"

"Because, let's face it. He used you and tossed you aside like a piece of trash. No matter who that's coming from, it hurts." InuYasha looked away, a scowl pulling at his features.

"I-it's not like that, anyways. He's just being how he normally is."

"Maybe, but less than twenty-four hours ago, you two were closer than any two beings on this earth can be. Don't tell me that you didn't hope things would change between you, after that? Don't tell me you weren't disappointed when he still…you know…acted like he hated you." InuYasha sighed, his shoulders slumping.

"I mean…I…yeah, it would've been nice for him to…I don't know…accept me, just a little, and sure I thought maybe…if he was willing to do **that** with me, he'd be willing to…" the half demon shook his head. "But you know what? To him – to both of us – it was just a necessity, nothing more, nothing less."

"Don't say that. The two of you engaged in perhaps **the** most intimate act a person can commit. What's more, dog demons don't do that kind of thing with just anyone."

"W-we don't?"

"Look, demons get a bad rep for being frivolous – particularly in lewd ways – but dog demons are extremely loyal. That's why they inbreed so much. It's seen as some form of betrayal of the pack to just mate with anyone, and it's seen as a betrayal of themselves and their mate – even if they have yet to have one – to engage in sexual intercourse with just random people. My guess is that if Sesshoumaru had ever had anyone before, it was Taisho."

"That's right."

"That's because Sesshoumaru's demon instinct won't **let** him mate with anyone other than someone it sees as an acceptable mate. Of course, in the heat, I'm sure, being the controlled demon he is, he **could** choose anyone, but it would feel wrong to him. Unnatural. Unless he intends to take that person as a mate for the rest of his life."

"S-so?"

"So you obviously mean more to your brother than he lets on." InuYasha looked away, scowling.

"Don't even talk like that."

"Afraid to get your hopes up?"

"Sh-shouldn't I be?" Miroku offered his friend a sad smile, but he had to concede the point. It wasn't likely Sesshoumaru was going to change his behavior any time soon, if ever. "I just…I remember…when I was a kid. Those time that he held me. During his heat. On my human nights. A-after mom died. He would never do that, anymore. Anything he does for me now, it's out of duty, because he's my alpha and my legal guardian, so he **has** to take care of me." Miroku sighed sadly. It was easy for him to brush off that sort of thing, but the connection to a pack was everything to an Inu demon, so even if InuYasha was only half demon, it was still probably the single most important relationship in his life. He was about to say something when there was a knock on the door.

"Let me get that. I'll be right back." He went to the door and opened it. Kikyo stood there, her books in hand. Miroku grinned. "Kikyo! Hey! Come on in. InuYasha's here to study with us."

"InuYasha is the half demon you told me about?" she asked coldly.

"Yup."

"…You know how I feel about demons." InuYasha lifted a brow when he heard this. _Does she not care that I'm listening to everything she's saying?_ He wondered.

"He's different," the monk assured her. "Just give him a chance." Kikyo came into the living room and saw InuYasha. For a long, long moment, she was still. Then, she moved forward to stand right in front of him, staring down at him with dark, curious eyes.

"May I touch your ears?" she asked bluntly. The half demon blinked but then nodded. No one but Sesshoumaru had ever touched his ears before, and his brother had done so only when he was little, to calm him down if he was crying too much. He wasn't sure how he felt about someone else touching them.

"O-okay," he conceded at length. _It's not like Sessh is special or anything,_ he thought bitterly. She reached out and grasped the tip of his left ear firmly between her thumb and forefinger, rubbing gently. It took all InuYasha had not to wince and yank away. Her touch was nothing like Sesshoumaru's. His brother had always been exceedingly gentle, never actually **grabbing** the ears –only stroking them with the very tip of his nail or the side of his finger, barely touching at all. This girl, even though she meant to be gentle, was coarse and rough in her movements. Even her softest of touches felt like she was yanking on the delicate appendage between her fingers. At last, she removed her hand, and InuYasha let out a sigh of relief.

"They're soft," she commented.

"Y-yeah. I know." She sat down next to him suddenly.

"You're okay, aren't you?"

"What?"

"You're not as bad as mom says demons are." She smiled a little shyly. "I've never met a demon before. Where I come from, there aren't really any demons because the priestesses there drove them away."

"Why did you come to Tokyo?" InuYasha asked. "I mean, if you lived in this nice, little town in the country…I'd never come here, if I were you."

"I came seeking my destiny. My mother died, leaving me an orphan. I felt the urge to leave my home and seek my fate. So here I am."

"Um…oh. Okay. I guess that's cool then."

"Have you found your destiny?" Kikyo asked. InuYasha snorted his amusement. He? A lowly half demon? Have a destiny? She had to be kidding.

"Don't be stupid. I'm just a half demon. An abomination. A mistake. Creatures like me don't have destinies…except maybe to crawl into a hole and die." She laid a hand on his shoulder, watching him with concern written all over her pretty, little face.

"You can't mean that. The universe does not make mistakes. We are all born for a reason. Even the smallest of creatures has a destiny. The world does not waste anything."

"Right, well tell that to my brother," InuYasha grumbled.

"I will," she declared. "He is wrong to fill your head with such notions."

"What? Don't really talk to him! He'll skin you alive! Idiot!"

"Would he really? You sound like my mother. She always talked about demons so hatefully…but you don't seem so bad."

"I'm nothing like my brother. He'll squash you like a bug without so much as looking at you, okay? You steer clear of him."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because, he's a demon. He hates humans. Look, we're here to study, right? So let's study!" Kikyo blinked, surprised by the change of topic, but then nodded and opened her books. Miroku stood in the entryway, completely forgotten. With a half-smile, he walked off to get some drinks before joining them. They both looked up, startled, as he came in.

"Forgot I was here, didn't you?" he teased.

"How can I?" InuYasha demanded. "I can smell you. I was just wondering why it took you so long to get my drink." He grabbed the glass of water and took a long drink from it, draining it halfway, before setting it on the end table. "You going to help us out here, genius, or not?" Miroku laughed.

"I forgot I'm the only one here that's been to class. Alright. I'll walk you through it." He sat down between the two of them and took Kikyo's book onto his lap. "Let's see…poetry. Oh good, I'm good at poetry. First we analyzed the poem by Ono no Komachi…" They listened intently as he read the poem, dissected it, and then explained it's final meaning. Then, he read another poem for them to do the same.

Four hours of studying later, InuYasha stood, right in the middle of Miroku explaining some chemistry. He stretched, ignoring the annoyed look his friend sent him.

"I can't sit like this, anymore," he declared, cutting the monk of mid-sentence. "I'm going outside for a bit." He took out his necklace and put it on.

"What happened?!" Kikyo gasped, staring at him in pure shock. Miroku chuckled, remembering that his reaction had been similar, the first time he saw the concealing spell removed. InuYasha rolled his eyes.

"It's a concealing spell. Did you really think I went around looking like that? Demons and priests and monks and stuff aren't really well-known here." Kikyo blinked.

"They're not?" The half-demon's jaw dropped open.

"No! We're a secret! Isn't it like that where you come from?"

"No…" She smiled. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Good, because they'd throw you in a mental institution, if you did, okay? Just… be careful, okay? Tokyo sounds a lot more dangerous from middle-of-nowhere-ville, where you come from." She blushed and looked away.

"I-it probably is. Thank you…for looking out for me." InuYasha scoffed and walked off to the backyard, shaking his head in disbelief. How could someone know so little about the world? She was a priestess! Didn't knowing that kind of thing come with the territory or something?

Kikyo stared out the window at InuYasha, her face contemplative. Miroku shut the book, deciding they'd done all they could for one day. He smiled at her and laid a hand on her shoulder. She jumped, but then just smiled back.

"He's not as bad as he tries to act," the monk supplied.

"I can see that. He's really quite sweet, isn't he?" she replied softly.

"Yeah. He's had it rough. Being a half demon is…well, it's no walk in the park. His half demon blood means monks and priestesses don't trust him, demons look down on him, and he's got to hide who is from everyone else."

"He spoke so poorly of his brother…"

"Not poorly. Honestly. Sesshoumaru-san is…well…he's the epitome of what it means to be demon. He's not **a **demon. He's **the** demon. And he's InuYasha's pack leader. And he hates humans and anything touched by humans."

"So the way InuYasha talked about himself…is because of Sesshoumaru?"

"Sesshoumaru-**san**. He won't tolerate humans just using his name without an honorific. If he had it his way, we'd call him –sama."

"He sounds awful."

"He's…I hate to make judgments, especially ones that might get me filleted, but he's pretty mean. InuYasha's right. Just steer clear of him, if you can. Chances are you won't have to worry about seeing him, though. He avoids most people if he can."

"I suppose that's all for the best, then."

"Yeah."

"You know…he doesn't look at all strange, like this."

"Hm? No, he looks like a normal human being, doesn't he." He noticed Kikyo's gaze soften a little as she smiled.

"I like him. He's not nearly as bad as I was worried he might be."

"See? Who was right?" She laughed.

"You were," she drawled dutifully. "Now, I have to go. Tell InuYasha I said goodbye." She gathered her books and went to the door. "See you at school tomorrow, Miroku." Then, she walked off, shutting the door behind her. Miroku went outside to join InuYasha, who was practicing aikido in the lawn.

* * *

Enter Kikyo! Ehh, she'll probably be kind of OOC, because I always have a hard time writing her (personal bias just keeps getting in the way!) Anyways, my apologies ahead of time for that. R and R please! :)


	8. Chapter 8

InuYasha strolled into school and was immediately beset upon by Kagome. She hugged him tightly, squealing happily.

"Why were you not in school this past week?" she demanded. "We were worried about you!" He tried his best to smile, though really, he was still feeling down about his brother's recently renewed distance. If anything, Sesshoumaru was colder to him than before. He hadn't spoken to InuYasha at all since he'd fled to Miroku's house, and he avoided looking at him whenever he could. He also went out of his way to just be in a different room than InuYasha.

"Um…family trip."

"With your **brother**? Don't you guys hate each other?" Kagome asked skeptically, linking her arm with his.

"InuYasha!" a voice called. His head swiveled to see Kikyo approaching them. "I wanted to thank you for studying with me the other day."

"U-um…it's no problem," InuYasha replied, mystified about why she was even talking to him. "Good luck in your classes."

"You too. And also…I was hoping we could do some more studying during lunch." She bit her lip hopefully.

"Um…I guess. Sure." She smiled a little, a faint blush touching her cheeks.

"Thank you! I'll see you during lunch then." InuYasha shrugged.

"Sure. No problem." Kagome frowned.

"Can I come too?" she asked.

"Sure. I don't care." Now Kikyo also frowned a little. Confused and really not wanting to deal with it, the half demon untangled himself from Kagome's arm and walked off. Girls were weird. He didn't want to put up with them, anyways. Really, all he felt like doing was brooding about Sesshoumaru.

That day, at lunch, neither of the girls were there when InuYasha got to the cafeteria. Shrugging, he sat down. Maybe they didn't want to study after all. That was when Miroku cam running up to him, clearly out of breath.

"Yasha!" he called. "Ka-Kagome and Kikyo…fighting!" In an instant, the half demon was on his feet. Fighting? Why would they be fighting? He took off after his friend, who was already headed back towards the classrooms. The two girls were in the gym room, shouting at each other.

"How dare you, you bitch!" Kagome gasped as they came in. She smacked Kikyo hard across the cheek. The priestess gasped and responded with a punch. Neither of them noticed InuYasha and Miroku standing, flabbergasted, in the doorway.

"You **really** don't want to get in a fight with me," Kikyo hissed.

"You-!"

"Hey!" InuYasha stepped in. Both girls turned to stare at him. "What is going on here?" Kagome looked away, embarrassed, but Kikyo met his eyes evenly.

"This insufferable, little snip of a girl picked a fight with me, so I gave her what she was asking for."

"Are you kidding? **She** picked a fight with **me**!" Kagome cried, her eyes snapping to glare at the other girl. InuYasha stared between the two of them, utterly shocked.

"Okay…what is this really about?" he asked. The two girls scowled at each other and fidgeted uncomfortable. "You know what? I don't care. Just…don't fight. You'll get into trouble. Or if you're going to fight, do it outside of school." He turned to walk away. It wasn't really his business what they were up to.

"Wait!" Kikyo cried. InuYasha sighed and turned back around.

"What?"

"Will you go out with me?" He blinked. Kikyo was asking him out? They'd only just met, really. He sighed and chuckled.

"I'd have to ask my brother. He doesn't let me do basically anything without asking him first, so…don't get your hopes up." Kagome scowled at Kikyo. Miroku glanced between the two and then burst out laughing, earning him a shocked stare from everyone else in the room. He couldn't believe it. They were fighting over InuYasha. He slumped against the wall in helpless peals of laughter. It was just perfect. Especially considering, if his suspicions were correct, InuYasha didn't have an eye for girls at all. In fact, if he was really spot on, his friend only wanted one person. That sobered him up a little. InuYasha wanted the one person who would never **ever** accept him.

"Sorry. Sorry. I just…nothing." He turned to walk away, shaking his head. InuYasha followed him.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"InuYasha – you're so lucky."

"What do you mean?"

"They're fighting over you." The half demon lifted a quizzical brow, clearly not believing his friend. "I'm not kidding! They really are! I wish I had girls fighting over me." The monk sighed wistfully, a blissful smile on his lips.

"Get your head out of the clouds. And I'd prefer it if they were fighting over you, too!" InuYasha snapped. "I mean, I don't belong with them…"

"Why do you say that?"

"I'm not human, Miroku. I don't belong with humans. I mean, Kagome doesn't even know what I am! And Kikyo…she's a priestess. We're natural enemies."

"That's not true. And by that logic **we're** natural enemies, too."

"You're different. Besides. Friends is one thing. But, like, boyfriend-girlfriend…no way. It just would never work."

"Maybe you should give her a chance."

"We'll see what Sesshoumaru says, but I don't know. It gives me a bad feeling. Besides, I hardly know her."

"Well, this is one way to get to know her. Come on, try being a normal person every once in a while."

"I'm **not** a normal person, Miroku. I'm a **half breed**."

"Half breed or not, you're still a normal person. There's nothing wrong with you, so don't let anyone tell you otherwise." The half demon looked away, mainly to hide that he didn't believe his friend in the least. A soft sigh escaped his lips.

That evening, when Sesshoumaru came home, InuYasha gathered up his wits and met him in the entryway. For a long moment, his brother just stared at him, then, he started to move past him as if he didn't even exist.

"Sesshoumaru," the younger spoke up, moving to block his way. Sesshoumaru clenched his jaw and took a step back to put some distance between them.

"Yes?" he asked, more than ready to just be gone from his brother's presence. He could smell him, hot and heavy in the air.

"I want to go on a date with this priestess named Kikyo. She knows about me, so I wanted to know if I could-?"

"No," Sesshoumaru cut him off. "Don't be stupid. You don't belong in their world."

"I don't belong in yours either!" InuYasha snapped. "Why can't I even try to find-?!"

"Love?" the demon sneered. "Is that what you want? You won't find it with that priestess **whore**, InuYasha. You're a half breed. You will **never** find love."

"But can't I at least-!"

"No! That's final! If you even **consider** dating that **human** you can get out of this house, right now!" And with that, Sesshoumaru swept past him and disappeared up the stairs. InuYasha, of course, had expected his brother to say no, but for some reason actually hearing it was so much worse than he'd imagined. _He hates me so much that he would disown me for just trying to find love?_ He thought in numb disbelief. _Why does he give a damn who I date?_

Sesshoumaru could feel the anguish running through his brother's body. He wanted nothing more than for the half breed idiot to take off the stupid necklace. He hated feeling those stupid, **human** emotions, almost as if they were his own. He clenched his fist. No, if he had anything to say about it, InuYasha would never lay hand on a girl. His stomach coiled in hatred and distaste. _Why do you care so much? You should go back and let him do whatever the Hell he wants._ He shook his head, throwing himself down on his bed. _No. I said what I did. Reasons aside, I'm not about to go back on it now. Besides, I'm his Alpha, I'm supposed to look out for him, and there's no way this _**_human_**_ is a suitable match for him. A suitable match for him doesn't exist and no one can claim him without my permission. _He rolled over and buried his face in his pillow. _Why are you getting so worked up about this? It's not worth it._

He felt his brother remove the necklace and breathed a sigh of relief. Still, the uneasy feeling in his stomach wouldn't go away. He had to do something about this problem, and soon. He didn't know if he could wait four more years. He could hear InuYasha moving around downstairs – probably getting something to eat. For some reason, he was hyper aware of it, more than usual. He closed his eyes and listened as he heard the half-demon talking on the phone.

"Hey, Miroku…Yeah, no shock. He said no…I guess I don't really care, I mean…yeah…no, man it's not like that… WHAT? No! He's…he's **Sesshoumaru**, I would never-! Don't' even joke about that! I'd have to be an idiot to want someone like him!" Sesshoumaru felt a low, possessive growl rise up in the back of his throat. _And idiot to want someone like me? What's that supposed to mean?! I'm damn near perfect! _Before he could stop himself, he was on his feet, across the room, down the stairs, and standing in front of his brother. He snatched the phone away and tossed it aside. "Hey! What the hell are you-?!"

"How dare you say something like that about me!" Sesshoumaru growled, grabbing him forcefully. The half demon struggled fruitlessly.

"Let go of me! What the hell is wrong with you?!" The older brother tilted his head to the side and bit down on the younger's neck, drawing blood. "Ow! What the hell?!" InuYasha's head snapped back as he was shoved up against the fridge.

"You said you'd be an idiot to want me; then you must be an idiot," Sesshoumaru snarled lowly in his ear.

"S-stop! What are you doing?! Get off of me!"

"Because I know how you feel, Inu**Yasha**! Yes, my **dear** Outoto, I know exactly what I do to you. Like when you walked in on me shirtless the other day. Whenever we're close your breathing hitches and your body starts to react. Especially after the heat. You can't keep your mind off me. See? Even now, just getting manhandled by me gets you hot, doesn't it?" To make his point, he slid his knee between his brother's legs, rubbing up against his hardening member.

"Leave me alone! It's not…It's not like that!"

"Don't lie! That's exactly what it's like. It's only natural for you, after all."

"Stop it!"

"Who do you think you're ordering around, little brother? You have no right to tell me what to do!" He felt, with each movement, his brother was getting more and more turned on. _This is getting dangerous,_ he thought dimly even as he dug his nails into the boy's arm, pinning him back with his whole body. The younger's arousal was overwhelming his senses, and sending heat coursing through his body. By this time, InuYasha was barely even struggling anymore, whining softly in the back of his throat as a form of weak protest, but an squirming just served to stimulated him more, so he stayed still.

"Please stop…" the smaller boy whispered. "Please…no more." Sesshoumaru reeled back, coming to his senses. _What the hell was I about to do?_ He realized with a jolt. Snarling, he spun on his heel, trying to figure out why he'd even come down in the first place.

"Never deny what I do to you, brother. What you **feel** for me," he spat as he headed up to his room again.

"I hate you!" the half demon screamed after him. "I hate you so much it makes me sick!" Sesshoumaru's stomach coiled in on itself and he nodded. _That's right,_ he thought, willing himself to calm down. _As I, you, brother._

InuYasha slumped to the floor against the fridge, who whole body shaking. _What was up with that?_ He wondered. _He was about to freaking rape me or something. _That cruel little voice inside him jeered, _would it be rape if you wanted it?_ He slowly stood, trying to will away his hard on with little success. Sighing his defeat, he went to his room and flopped down on his bed. Guiltily, he slid his hand down to the front of his pants, massaging lightly for a moment. His eyes fell shut, and without his permission, an image of his brother rose up in his mind. The Sesshoumaru in his head was smiling – more of a playful smirk – at him, not a hint of that hateful glare that was normally present. He groaned as he recalled the feeling of his brother's hands on his body, his lips and tongue and teeth nibbling down his torso, his hot breath washing over his skin.

InuYasha's hand tugged open the button on his pants before pulling down the zipper to push both his jeans and his boxers a little ways down his legs. He wrapped his fingers around himself, remembering how it had felt when Sesshoumaru had done the same. That week alone had probably provided enough material to last him a lifetime, if he never had another time to jack off without the help of his own hand. When he inhaled raggedly, he could almost taste the heady scent of Sesshoumaru on his tongue. His eyes cracked open for a moment just to make sure he was alone before sliding shut again. A moan rose from his throat.

"S-Sesshoumaru…" he grated out, gradually speeding up his hand. "Ah…Sesshoumaru…" Grunting, he rolled over onto his knees, kneeling on the bed. Tentatively, blushing a bright red, he brought his free hand to his entrance. His body was aching for it, his hole twitching violently. He needed to feel it. The mere thought of his brother inside of him set his whole body on fire, begging to be taken. Pushing away his own shame, he thrust two fingers up into that tight hole. "Ah!" he flung his head back, keeping his eyes screwed shut. "Mmm! S-Sessh!" His hips began to rock back and forth gently, thrusting up into his hand then pushing down against his fingers. The Sesshoumaru in his fantasies was already sliding in and out of his body, panting heavily in his ear, kissing up and down his neck. "Y-yes!" he choked out. "More! Sessh!" With a groan, he released into his own hand before collapsing onto the bed, panting. After slowly allowing his heart and breathing to calm down, he sat up to clean himself up and change. _Could I do that kind of thing with Kikyo or Kagome?_ He wondered. The idea gave him a bad taste in his throat. _This isn't normal. Maybe I should give it a try…_He tried to imagine pushing Kikyo down on the bed and plunging into her, but he quickly broke loose of the idea, his stomach writhing in distaste. _Shit. This is really bad._ He changed and curled up in bed. _This is really, really bad._


	9. Chapter 9

InuYasha groaned. Kikyo and Kagome were fighting – again. He hated getting caught in the middle of their arguments, but invariably, every time, they each asked him who he thought was right. _Why even during the summer?_ He thought miserably. Normally, the only people from school he saw during the summer were Miroku, Koga, and occasionally Sango, who – despite protesting otherwise – seemed more than willing to hang out with Miroku when they went to the amusement park or out for ice cream or the movies. But recently, Kagome and Kikyo had somehow both managed to tag along with him and his friends on their outings. Today, they were at the park, and both Kikyo and Kagome had just happened to come on their own and seen InuYasha and…well, now they were doing this, again.

"InuYasha wants **me,** not you!" Kagome cried.

"As if, you pathetic, little brat. He needs a woman, not a girl!"

"What the hell? We're the same age!"

"And yet strangely enough, I'm infinitely more mature than you are! Right InuYasha?"

"You can't agree with her, right InuYasha?" The half-demon took a step back, feeling utterly cornered. He didn't really want to pick a side in this highly volatile situation. They were both waiting for his answer.

"H-hey…you can't ask me to get in the middle of this…" he protested.

"He just pities you and doesn't want to hurt you feelings," Kikyo sneered.

"You're too thick to see he really loves **me** and it's **you **he pities!" Kagome spat back. InuYasha looked around for some help to find Koga had gone off to flirt with some girl a ways away, and Miroku had taken Sango away from the scene so they could talk in peace. _Traitors!_ He thought spitefully. Suddenly, his head swiveled. _Is Sesshoumaru here?_ Before he could continue with that train of thought, Kagome grabbed his wrist, attempting to pull him to her, but Kikyo got ahold of his other arm.

"Hey, stop it!" he cried, but they were completely ignoring him, now. There was a blur of white and suddenly both girls found themselves on their backs, twenty feet apart. Sesshoumaru cast each of them a haughty glance, grabbed InuYasha by the waist, picked him up over his shoulder, and walked off. "Hey! Put me down, bastard! What the hell are you doing?!" InuYasha cried, squirming to no avail. "Sesshoumaru what the-?" the wind was knocked from him as he was literally tossed into the back seat of the car. The door was slammed shut behind him, and Sesshoumaru got behind the wheel. "Hey! What are you doing? Don't ignore me!"

"Do you like it when they fight over you? Make you feel special?" Sesshoumaru sneered, speeding out of the parking lot.

"Slow down, idiot! You'll get someone killed!"

"Does it get you hot to know you could probably have them both – at the same time – if you played it right?"

"What the hell are you talking about?! I wish nothing more than that they'd leave me alone!" The half demon replied. _Why is he so angry?_ "Honestly, I don't want to go out or sleep with either one of them."

"Bullshit. Then why do you put up with them?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why don't you just smack them both and tell them you hate them?"

"You don't just **do** that to people, Sessh! Well **you** do, but decent people don't!" The tires screeched as he pulled into the drive way. But instead of getting out, the demon turned and slid between the front seats to kneel over InuYasha in the back.

"I don't care how you end it with them, Outoto. But you **will** end it. Do you understand me?" he growled lowly, grabbing his brother's jaw to force him to look at him. InuYasha squared his jaw defiantly.

"Like hell you can tell me what to do," he spat. Sesshoumaru's fingers tightened to a bruising grip, but he refused to cry out. "What do you care, anyways?"

"I am your alpha. You **belong** to me. It's not your place to question."

"Bullshit. I don't belong to anyone except myself." Sesshoumaru could feel the tension building in his chest, his control slowly slipping. He felt like he was on fire. The mere thought of those girls with their hands all over **his** InuYasha drove him insane with fury. "What were you even doing in that park, in the first place?" Sesshoumaru **had** been there trying to get some time alone to think and get away from his brother's scent. Well, that hadn't worked out as planned.

"I don't have to explain myself to you."

"Then get the hell off of me and go inside."

"Don't tell me what to do!" He could feel his brother's hands on his chest, pushing fruitlessly in an attempt to get some distance.

"Go away, bastard!" the half demon growled. And for some reason, that oh, so common demand was what pushed Sesshoumaru over the edge. He pulled the boy into a searing kiss. _I'm going to make him see who he belongs to! He's mine and I'll prove it!_ The demon bit his brother's lip until he opened his mouth for his tongue. Panting, he pulled away, his furious, gold gaze locked with the younger boy's. With a feral snarl, he flipped his brother onto his stomach. "Shit! Get off of me! Idiot! What are you doing?"

"What, InuYasha?" He ground his hips down against the boy's backside. "Isn't this what you've been wanting." He grabbed a fistful of ebony hair and yanked hard, causing InuYasha to cry out in pain. Sesshoumaru all but tore his brother's pants and boxers down, hoisting his hips up forcefully.

"Stop! Get off me! Stop it!" the half-demon protested, but the full demon wasn't listening. _Dammit! He's really going to rape me, this time!_ They'd had a number of close calls and heated make-out sessions, but Sesshoumaru usually came to his senses, growled something about InuYasha knowing his place, and left before things got too far. But this time, he didn't seem to be stopping. Singlehandedly – because the other hand was being used to pin InuYasha's wrists to the interior of the car door – Sesshoumaru pulled down the zipper on his pants, and pushed them and his boxers down enough to free his throbbing arousal. Without warning, he lined it up and slammed it's entire length into his brother's body. The scream that left his brother's mouth was bloodcurdling, animalistic. "Bastard!" he choked out as Sesshoumaru began to move, regardless of the blood now running down the other's legs. All other attempts to speak by the younger brother was drowned out by his screams of pain. Sesshoumaru ducked his head and bit InuYasha's shoulder, drawing blood. The demon felt himself nearing the end. He buried his face in the crook of his brother's neck and came hard with a soft moan. Then, he pulled out and righted his clothes, letting InuYasha fall to the seat limply.

"Dammit. Now I'll have to clean my car," he muttered. _Why did I do that?_ He thought, his chest squeezing painfully. He didn't like seeing his brother injured and bleeding and not even trying to fight. He clenched his fist. _Shit! Shit! Shit! _**_Shit!_**"InuYasha?" No response. _Did he pass out? _The boy shifted, turning his head to glare back at Sesshoumaru.

"Satisfied you perverted bastard?" he ground out, defiant to the end. _No,_ Sesshoumaru thought. _No I'm not satisfied at all! What are you going to do about it?!_ Instead, he turned away from the painful sight.

"Get your disgusting body out of my car," he sneered before walking off. Once inside, he let his concealing spell drop and combed his fingers through his hair, going up to his room. "Dammit!" he screamed. He wanted to spout out every swear word he could think of, but he heard the door open, so he shut his mouth. _Why am I feeling like this?! What is wrong with me?_ He thought furiously, flinging himself down onto the bed. _What should I do? Go apologize to him? Like Hell, I will! He's a _**_half breed_**_. _He let out a humorless chuckle. _He's just a half breed, so why do I care so much?_ He wrapped his arms around himself and closed his eyes against the urge to cry. _I just need to cool off. Maybe I should go out…or go to sleep._ He glanced at the clock. It was only four twenty-five. _Sleep it is._ He closed his eyes and willed himself to fade out of consciousness…

_"Sesshoumaru. Do you have someone to protect?"_ _his father's strong baritone asked. Sesshoumaru didn't know what he meant. Someone to protect? No. He was alone. Why would he want such a hindrance? _

_"What do you mean?" he asked. _

_"Do you have someone to protect?" Suddenly, the younger demon felt like he knew where this was going. Izayoi. It was always about that bitch. He clenched his fist._

_"No, father. I have no one to protect." And silently he vowed that he never would. InuTaisho turned to look at him sadly. He reached out and cupped his cheek._

_"I'm sorry," he murmured before drawing him into a gentle kiss. "I'm sorry." Why was he sorry? And what good was being sorry if he didn't stop with that stupid human woman? Words were one thing, but actions were what really mattered…_

Sesshoumaru awoke and checked the clock. Two forty-three. Groaning, he sat up and yawned. Suddenly, he froze, his eyes flying wide. Experimentally, he sniffed again. Scowling, he leapt to his feet and made his way to InuYasha's room, pushing open the door. A strangled gasp escaped his lips. The boy wasn't there. Even though he had already smelled his absence, it came a shock. Frowning, he began to search around the house, telling himself that his nose must just be failing him, because where would InuYasha be at two forty-three in the morning? But he wasn't in the house. Heart thumping a little too loudly in his chest, Sesshoumaru went to the front door to go outside only to find a note tacked to it.

"Bastard, I'm leaving. Don't try to get me to come back. It's not worth your time or mine. See you never again. – Your half-breed brother." Sesshoumaru reread the note ten times over as he slowly made his way to the couch and sat down in shock. A dry, humorless laugh tore from his throat as he dropped the note. He put his head in his hands, a wry smile curling his lips. He should've guessed something like this would happen. InuYasha had left him. A tear rolled down his cheek. _Why are you crying?_ He asked himself. _You drove him out. No one could stand what you've put him through._ He let out a half-laugh, half-sob. His InuYasha had left him, like everyone else.

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	10. Chapter 10

InuYasha huddled in an abandoned warehouse, staring out the dusty windows at the fading sunlight. It would be night soon, the night of a new moon. His human night. _Maybe I should just go back to Sesshoumaru and apologize,_ he thought. His mind played out the scene…

_"Um…ah…S-Sesshoumaru…?" he asked, standing before his brother on the doorstep, his head bowed. The demon's gaze was cold and disapproving._

_"I see you can't handle the real world on your own, after all," he sneered. He stood aside for InuYasha to enter. "Come on in. This place is your home, after all." Falsely hopeful, InuYasha would obey and go inside only to be grabbed and pinned to the door as soon as it was shut behind him. "Did you really think you could get away with such a juvenile prank, _**_InuYasha_**_?" His brother growled in his ear, furious. "No one runs away from me!" He yanked on InuYasha's hair, forcing his head back. "How pathetic of you to run away only to come crawling back because you can't take care of yourself! You think I'm going to shoulder that responsibility? No, you took yourself out of my pack! Deal with it!"_

InuYasha shook his head. _Definitely not doing that, _he thought. _I guess I'll just have to wait it out on my own._ He was more than a little nervous. He hated spending his human nights alone, and he rarely had to, considering Sesshoumaru had only ever been gone a handful of times for business trips. Even though his older brother had long stopped staying in the room with him when he turned, usually if he huddled against the wall that separate their rooms, he could bask in the comfort of his aura and feel safe, despite the fact that he knew Sesshoumaru hated him. He lifted the beads around his neck, examining them. _Dammit, why do I feel so crappy?_ He thought. _That bastard…that bastard…there was no way I could keep living with him._

He groaned heavily as the transformation started, pressing himself against the cold, hard wall. He felt his strength slipping away from him and that familiar panic set in, but he battled it down. Of course, because he'd been wearing the necklace, his physical appearance didn't change at all, but he could feel the difference. He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to comfort himself in vain. Hours dripped by, but he couldn't fall asleep. He didn't want to. He glanced out the window, wondering just how long he had until the sun started to rise. Only a few hours, right? He could handle a few hours more. Suddenly, the door banged open and a three sharp-dressed men came in, dragging with them a bruised and battered man.

"Oy! What's this guy doing here? You said this place was secret!" the obvious leader of the group barked to the other two men. _A gang?_ InuYasha thought. _Shit! Just my _**_shitty_**_ luck!_ The leader, a man with long black hair and steely grey-eyes stalked over to him, towering above him like some sort of wrathful god. He smoothed his white and purple, tailored suit and glared down at the now-human InuYasha. "Just what are you doing here? Don't you know this is **my** territory! Do you have any idea who I am?" InuYasha's mind scrambled for a way to get out of his predicament. He stood, sighing heavily.

"Don't know your name, boss, but you've got a reputation where I'm from." _I hope this doesn't backfire. _"I thought you could maybe use the muscle – you know, someone who can **really** fight, instead of those two bozos." He jerked his chin at the other two well-dressed men. _Even in this form, I'm not bad for a human, right? And none of these guys have any aura whatsoever, so I doubt they're demons._ Now the leader looked interested.

"Alright then, boy, show me what you can do. Why don't you spar Renkotsu, here? Get him held down for ten seconds and we'll let you live and join the gang. How does that sound?" InuYasha's stomach flip flopped, but he had known that something like this was prone to happening if he went around tossing out challenges. He hauled himself to his feet, forcing himself to put on a brave front. It was just a human, after all, right?

Renkotsu stepped forward, and InuYasha took a moment to analyze him. he was lean and fit, not too tall, not too short. He wore a teal button-up shirt, white pants, and a teal bandana over his head. Judging from the lack of hair poking out, the half-demon assumed he'd shaved his head. He had small, black eyes and grinned wickedly as he sized up his opponent. Now he cracked his knuckles, sauntering forward.

"Ready?" he sneered.

"Don't hit his face!" the other called. "It would be a shame to damage such a handsome face, after all." InuYasha spared him a glance and frowned slightly. He was borderline cross-dressed, wearing pale-purple short-shorts and teal fishnets as well as a tight, white tanktop that cut off well above his midriff. And was that lipstick and purple eye shadow? And those purple boots had way too much heel for a guy. Shaking his head, InuYasha turned back to his enemy just into time to dodge a punch. It seemed Renkotsu wasn't waiting around. He swept his foot out to trip his opponent, but the other man jumped over it.

Back and forth they fought, neither of them really getting anywhere. InuYasha could feel himself begin to tire. He had to end this soon or his human body wouldn't be able to keep up with Renkotsu's ruthless attacks. He feinted back and then slid forward, dipping his shoulder to slam it into the other man's diaphragm while his hand came up to grip his shoulder. Once the man was off-balance, it was easy to sweep his legs out from under him and land, kneeling over him, pinning him to the ground. Now, at least, he had gravity on his side as he sat astride his enemy, hands clamped over his wrists.

"One…two…three…four…" he counted the seconds quietly. His voice rose when he got to the last three. "Eight…nine…ten!" Renkotsu went slack, scowling as InuYasha forced his weary body upright.

"Good, good! Now, beat Jakotsu, here, and you'll be guaranteed a spot," the leader informed him from a crate, where he'd taken a seat during the fight. InuYasha exhaled deeply. Of course. Just his luck.

"Can I have a moment to catch my breath?" he asked, casting a glance at the slowly lightening sky.

"Five minutes," the other man agreed reluctantly. Immediately, Jakotsu was by his side, grabbing his hand.

"Oh, I'm so excited to get to brawl with such a handsome boy!" he enthused. "Tell me, will you take me down and sit on me the way you did Renkotsu. I got so jealous seeing the two of you like that. He doesn't appreciate that kind of thing the way I do." InuYasha's stomach coiled in distaste, and he pulled his hand away.

"Don't touch me, perv!" Jakotsu lowered his lids to stare at the half-demon through long, thick lashes.

"Oh, but how could I see someone as **fine** as you and not touch? And I don't care what you call me as long as I can be **your** little, pervy slut," he purred, his hand sliding up InuYasha's chest. In an instant, the teenager had put ten feet of space between them.

"Touch me again, and you loose your hand!" he warned.

"Careful," the leader chuckled. "That kind of talking just turns him on even more – horny bastard. You see, for Jakotsu here, violence is foreplay. Now, you've had your five minutes. Let's see what you've got." InuYasha glanced at the sky. _Hurry up!_ He mentally begged the sun. He dragged his eyes back to the cross-dressing gangster only to find him already charging at him. He dodged, ignoring the protests of his muscles. _Come on, Yasha. You can do this,_ he steeled himself. _You don't have to last much longer, just until the sun comes up…_Jakotsu spun with surprising dexterity and launched himself at the half demon again, grabbing onto him and sending them both toppling to the ground. Snarling, InuYasha flipped them over, frustrated at having been floored so easily. He pinned Jakotsu down.

"One…two…thr-AGH!" The other man arched his hips up, grinding hard against InuYasha. The half demon reeled back…allowing the human to flip their positions.

"Oh, too bad. I would really liked having you on top of me."

"Bastard!" InuYasha struggled.

"One…two…three…" _Dammit! Shit! Shit! Shit!_ He struggled harder. "Five…six…seven…" Suddenly, his whole body pulsed and strength flooded into him. _YES!_ He flipped them easily, his newfound strength catching Jakotsu completely off-guard.

"One…two…three…"

"Wow…you're strong than you look. Were you holding out on me, boy? Don't tell me you've enjoyed our little romp as much as I have. Such a tease!"

"Six…seven…eight…nine…ten!" InuYasha got off the man, moving a good fifteen feet away just to be safe. The leader of the group now stood up, frowning slightly.

"That move you pulled to floor Renkotsu…where did you learn it?" he asked curiously. _I thought…no…there's no way…_

"My brother and I fight all the time. He used to use it on me." The human's eyes widened slightly.

"Your brother, huh?"

"Yeah, it's something he picked up from our dad, who learned it in China from some kung-fu monk or something." Now the human nodded, folding his arms over his chest.

"What's your name, boy?"

"InuYasha, why?" The man kept his expression blank despite the urge to gawk at the raven-haired teen. _InuYasha…I had my suspicions when I saw that move, but now it's for sure. This is Sesshoumaru's half-brother. _

"Inuyasha, huh? Did Sesshoumaru send you to find me and punish me?" he asked warily. The half demon, however, looked genuinely surprised.

"Aniki? What? Who are you and why would Sesshoumaru want to punish you?" he asked. "And no, he doesn't **send** me to do anything. We don't live together, anymore. How do you know my brother?" A sigh of relief escaped the man and he offered out his hand.

"It's nothing. We went to school together, and I think we had a bit of a falling out. Anyways, it doesn't matter if you're not connected to him, anymore. Welcome to the gang. I'm Bankotsu." InuYasha took the offered hand and shook it…

Sesshoumaru had sat up all night, pacing in his room. It was InuYasha's human night. He could feel the boy's myriad of emotions through the necklace. He felt his fear, his doubts, his anxiety, his sorrow. _Good, he deserves to suffer,_ the demon thought angrily._ Now why doesn't he just come home, already?_ He shook his head. He **had** to stop thinking like that. InuYasha wasn't coming back, and he didn't even want him to come back! The half-demon was a disgrace and a nuisance. He felt the fear drop away as the sun rose up over the horizon, and for some reason, he felt like he'd just lost something.

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I know, a short chapter - it's just a transition, really, moving us along. - and you all thought Bankotsu was just an honorable mention! :D Honestly, I never got around to watching far enough in the series to see the Band of Seven, so if y'all have suggestions for how they act or whatever I'm open to it, because right now, I'm just using what I read on Google. Thanks! :) R&R!


	11. Chapter 11

InuYasha reclined in the corner of the club Bankotsu often occupied. The other six members of the gang were mingling with the other customers, but InuYasha was focused only on the leader, who sat apart from the rest, sipping a drink at the bar. The leader of the "Band of Seven," as they were called, was normally pretty carefree and confident, but tonight he was brooding. It wasn't the first time the half demon had noticed it. The human usually waited for a time when he thought no one was looking then let his confident façade drop. In truth, the man seemed a little insecure. _Well, he is a gangster – that just screams insecurity,_ InuYasha rationalized. _I mean, look at me…_He sighed.

Suddenly, someone wrapped their arms around him from behind, leaning over the booth to nuzzle his neck. The half demon stiffened for a moment, then he turned and shoved the other man away, glaring angrily and rubbing his neck.

"Jakotsu! I swear you do that again, and I'll kill you!" he snarled. The human fake-pouted, his eyes widening.

"Don't be so mean, InuYasha," he whined before his expression shifted to malicious smirk. "Besides, you should know that threatening me only turns me on more." The younger boy fought the urge to get up and smack the man – he knew it would only suffice in egging him on.

"Stop bothering me, Jakotsu. I want to be alone." The man sighed and, heedless of InuYasha's request, sat down across the table from him. "Seriously, Jakotsu-!"

"Just listen to me, Yasha." For once, the man seemed perfectly serious, startling the half-demon into silence. "I'm worried about Ban-chan."

"You should be worried about yourself, if he hears you calling him that," the teen advised, but Jakotsu just frowned. It was such an uncharacteristic look on the older man that InuYasha actually began to consider that there was going to be some merit to the conversation. "Okay, why are you worried?"

"Well, look at him. I mean, I know no one else pays attention, but I've seen you noticing it too. He didn't used to be like this…"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean before you joined, he didn't do this except when we had real trouble."

"So? Why are you talking to **me** about this?"

"Because you're the only other one who really seems to even realize how troubled he is. Now, maybe you don't care, but I do, so…what do you think I should do?"

"How should I know? If you haven't noticed, my people-skills aren't exactly fantastic." _That's the understatement of the century, as I'm sure Sesshoumaru would tell me._ He frowned, shaking his head. _Don't think about him, InuYasha._ Ever since he'd left five months ago, he'd been trying – and failing miserably – not to think about his older brother. It seemed that at every possible moment, he would think about what his brother would say or do. It was more than a little distressing, actually. Jakotsu sighed.

"Well…it seems like I only bother him. He never opens up to me."

"Hm – that might be because you're always trying to get into his pants. If you treated him like a friend not a piece of meat, he might like you better."

"Piece of meat?! I don't do that! I treat him differently from anyone else!" InuYasha lifted a skeptical brow. "I do! Don't look at me like that!"

"Well, try a little harder, because none of us can see it."Jakotsu pouted, crossing his arms. "Hey, you asked for my advice; I'm just giving it. If you don't want to hear it, don't ask!" Jakotsu sighed and looked back at Bankotsu.

"I-I guess you're right…even though I think I treat him differently. But what do I do now? He already hates me."

"Look, I really don't know! I couldn't even get my own brother not to hate me!" He flushed, turning away, embarrassed by his own outburst. "Whatever. Just leave me alone." Jankotsu tilted his head.

"Is that why you ran away?"

"It's none of your business!"

"Yes it is. You're a member of the gang. We're supposed to take care of each other. What happened between you and your brother?"

"What do you mean what happened? He's always hated me. It just got…worse as I got older, and I got sick of it. So I left. Now can we please drop it?"

"Well, I don't think we should, but because you said please…" They lapsed into silence, both watching their leader.

Bankotsu sat at the bar, drinking moodily. As he sat there, completely oblivious to the rest of the world, his mind wandered back to a certain incident four months ago. It had been bothering him ever since it's occurrence shortly after InuYasha joined his gang.

_He saw a familiar figure across the club. The rest of the gang had already gone back to the base to sleep. Before he could get a better glance at the figure across the room of writhing, dancing bodies, it was gone. It couldn't have been…? No way. But suddenly a deep voice behind him caused him to spin._

_"Bankotsu." Staring straight at him, now a good deal taller than him, was Sesshoumaru. The demon had only grown more beautiful as he got older, and more intimidating._

_"S-Sesshoumaru?" the human choked on his drink. "What are you doing here?" In his head, he imagined the demon tearing him to shreds, snarling something about his betrayal. Instead, the taller man took a half-step back to show he intended no harm._

_"I heard a member of my pack seems to have wandered into your arms," he commented. Bankotsu let out a soft sigh of relief. Though part of him wondered why Sesshoumaru was bothering with this. Didn't he hate his brother? What did he care?_

_"What of it? If you want him back-!"_

_"I don't. Keep him, drop him, I don't care. What I _**_am_**_ saying, though, Bankotsu – is that if you harm him, personally, in any way, I swear I will not only kill you slowly and painfully, I will do the same to everyone you care about. And I'll leave that little gay pretty-boy – Jakotsu was it? – for last and make him suffer the worst."_

_"Look, InuYasha's a good addition to my gang. I wouldn't-!"_

_"Shut it. I don't care. Remember, he's not one of you. He never can be. And remember to leave him alone during the heat – I'm sure you've already learned your lesson about that, right?"_

_"Yeah, yeah, I know." He flushed slightly and looked away._

_"Good. And by the way – I hold you responsible for the actions of your boys, too, so keep them under control." The demon turned to leave._

_"If you care so much, why don't you just take him back?" Bankotsu chanced a question. Suddenly, he found himself pinned against the bar, the demon's hand locked around his throat, the claws extending a little to press threatening into the sensitive flesh there._

_"I don't care about him. I'm doing my duty as Alpha. Nothing more." The human nodded stiffly, trying to move as little as possible for fear of the claws. "Are we clear?"_

_"Crystal," he croaked out. The demon released him and turned away, sneering his disgust._

_"Good. I don't think this needs saying, but you aren't to mention this to InuYasha." Then, he was gone, disappearing through the crowd and out the door._

Ever since then, he'd been worried about Sesshoumaru's threat. Who knew what the temperamental demon would consider "harm?" And he couldn't always keep all his men under control, and it wasn't like InuYasha got along well with any of the other men. He didn't want to throw InuYasha out – he was good for business, but it was dangerous to keep him around. _Especially with the way that Jakotsu keeps bothering him. If they get in a fight, Sesshoumaru could use that as excuse to waste us all._ He glanced over at the half demon to see him sitting peacefully with Jakotsu. _Or not?_ However, both of them were watching him. He flashed them a smile and tipped back his drink. Jakotsu stood up and walked over to him, sitting down beside him.

"What do you want?" Bankotsu asked, frowning.

"Can't I just want to sit and drink with you? You are our boss, after all, right?" The younger man sighed and looked away. "What's bothering you, Nii-chan?"

"Maybe the fact that you're bothering me, huh?" Jakotsu looked absolutely crushed, his head hanging as his shoulders slumped.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Bankotsu's throat tightened. But then the man brightened up as if nothing had happened. "Sorry, just kidding! I know, it's just because you actually are in love with me, and you're just embarrassed."

InuYasha shook his head as he listened to their conversation. What did he care about Bankotsu anyways? He didn't. To be honest, he didn't care for any of the Band of Seven much, and none of them knew about him being a half demon, except perhaps Bankotsu. They didn't like him, either. All in all, he was wondering if he should leave. _Would they come after me if I did?_ _Being here just makes me even more lonely, seeing the rest of them together._ He sighed and stood to head out to the old apartment building they used as a base. He caught Bankotsu's eye and waved to let him know he was leaving.

He sucked in a deep breath of cool, night air, relishing in the quieting of the noise as the door swung shut behind him. His feet carried him deftly towards the building the rest of the gang called home. He couldn't think of the place as "home" when it wasn't with his pack, even if he wanted to – which he did very much. After about fifteen minutes, he became aware of someone following him. What's more, he sensed that said person was a demon. His stomach coiled tightly in anticipation of a fight. He branched off into an alley and turned, lunging forward to grab the other man's shirt, pinning him against a wall.

"Who are you and what do you want?" he snarled. The other man smirked, totally unperturbed by his position. He had long, wavy black hair and gleaming, purple-grey eyes. He wore a purple shirt, white pants, and a white, hooded, fur-lined jacket.

"Hey," he greeted InuYasha, smirking in a way that made InuYasha's skin crawl. "I'm Naraku – you're one of that gang, right? The eighth member in the Band of Seven – kind of out of place there, aren't you?"

"What do you want, demon?" the teen snarled viciously.

"Ah, not quite. I'm half demon, just like you. And I think we want the same thing." InuYasha was shocked for a moment, but he quickly recovered, pushing harder against Naraku.

"And what is that, hm?" The other man smiled disarmingly.

"To become demon, of course." InuYasha gasped slightly. _Is that possible? Wh-what would Sesshoumaru say if I became full demon…? No, he still wouldn't accept me, ever. Still…if I were full demon, I would belong somewhere, right?_ "That's why I think you should join my band. You see, we belong together, InuYasha."

"Oh, and what do you intend to do to rival gangs?" the teen challenged. Even if he didn't like Bankotsu or his gang, they'd been working together – they were as close to a pack as he'd ever gotten, so he wasn't about to betray them.

"Ah, well, we've got to do what we've got to do. The only was to become demon would be by gaining power by vanquishing foes. And the more powerful enemies we kill, the closer we get." (A/N: I realize this is nothing like the real anime/manga, but I didn't want to include the Shikon Jewel because it's just too complicated, and that's not the main plot of this thing.) InuYasha growled lowly. He wasn't about to kill the only people that had given a shit about him.

"Forget it, Naraku. You can count me out." He pulled back. "Take my warning and get out of here before I make you." He turned his back on the half demon and stalked off, back to the bar. _Better warn Bankotsu-san that we have trouble._ To his satisfaction, Naraku didn't follow him as he returned to the club. Flinging the door open, he strode over to his leader, who was drinking in silence with Jakotsu.

"InuYasha – I thought you'd left," his boss commented, confused.

"I did, but we need to talk…alone," InuYasha replied sourly. The older human stood and took InuYasha to one of the secluded enclaves near the bar where they could sit and talk in privacy.

"Now, what is the matter?" he asked.

"Some half demon just approached me saying he wanted me to join his gang – he's trying to run us out. Said his name was Naraku."

"And what did you tell him when he asked you to join his gang?"

"No, of course. He wants to kill you guys!"

"Pity…would've been nice to have an inside man. Oh well – thank you for your loyalty. I'll tell the others, minus the fact that he's half demon."

"Yeah. Anyways, **now**, I'm really headed back. I'll make sure no one follows me."

"Thank you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." _Well, now I really can't ask him to leave,_ Bankotsu thought with a sigh. _We'll need him if we're up against a half-demon._ _Naraku he said his name was? I guess I'll have to look into him…_

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Sorry for the wait on the update! R&R please! :)


	12. Chapter 12

InuYasha lowered into a crouch, his lip curling into a grimace. Naraku was currently making a trade with a drug lord name Menomaru. It was his job to interrupt it. He clutched his necklace for support. Even after almost a year of living away from Sesshoumaru, he still clung to the last remnants of his brother. It was stupid, he knew, but he couldn't help but be comforted by it. If he focused really hard, he could still pick up traces of Sesshoumaru's scent on the fangs and strands of hair. But as much as it made him feel secure, it also made him feel lonely. Sometimes he wondered if his brother ever felt the same way. _What are you thinking, Inu? Sesshoumaru doesn't feel that way._ He shook his head to clear his thoughts, focusing himself on the task at hand. Steeling himself, he released the necklace and stood up.

"Hey!" he called. Both the drug lord and the gang leader turned to face him. _What are you thinking, taking them on without any plan, without any strategy?_ He mused even as he strode boldly forward.

"InuYasha," Naraku greeted him. "Have you come to join me? I'd be willing to excuse you for killing so many of my gang, if you did."

"I'd never join you!" He hurled a punch at the other half demon, who dodged. He pulled out a lighter and lit it, tossing it onto the open briefcase of money that was now left unattended. The paper inside went up in flames.

"You-!" Suddenly, the half demon found himself on the run from both his enemies. Menomaru was suddenly in front of him, side-kicking him in the stomach. He stumbled back, the air rushing from his lungs. Naraku loomed over him, sneering. InuYasha groaned as his enemy's boot connected with his face. Menomaru handed him a pipe and folded his arms to stand back and enjoy the show. InuYasha labored to his feet only to be knocked back down. His ears rung as the pipe smashed against his head. "I'm going to kill you!" He tasted blood and metal as the pipe hit his mouth. He fell to the ground, spitting blood. The pipe lifted again, and he braced himself. It came whistling down. A pale hand reached over him and caught it. That hand. He knew it.

"How dare you?" a low baritone growled. _Sesshoumaru?_ The half demon thought. _No…that…can't be right._ "You dare harm a member of the Shiro Inu Pack?!" The pipe was torn away from Naraku and thrown at him. The half demon snarled and ran off. "As for you, Menomaru, you should know better than to try to move in on my territory."

"It seems I've finally lured out the great Sesshoumaru. Sorry it had to be so unpleasantly. I really have no intention of challenging you for your territory."

"Then why are you here?"

"I want to court you." It was as if both demons had just forgotten InuYasha's presence. He heard his brother scoff.

"I would never allow a gangster lowlife like you to court me. Especially one that has dared threaten a member of my pack."

"That creature isn't worthy to be in your pack."

"That is beside he point. My father's blood runs through his veins. Now, leave before I decide to kill you for your stupidity." Menomaru took a half step back.

"Don't look down on me. You don't want to make an enemy of me."

"Is that a threat?" The teal-haired demon clenched his jaw and spun on his heel, stalking off. InuYasha tried to move, to speak, anything, but his whole body seared with pain at any attempt. A hand slid under his back and then another beneath his knees. "Put your arms around my neck," Sesshoumaru commanded. Forcing his battered body to obey, he brought one arm up around his brother's neck.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"I had other business with Menomaru. I just happened to catch them beating you up. You may not live with me, anymore, but I still have my pride as an Alpha."

"W-what are you going to do to me?"

"Do to you? Nothing. I'll take you back to that rabble you're calling a pack and leave you in their care." InuYasha tightened his arm around his brother's neck, burying his face in his chest. Sesshoumaru pretended not to notice as he inhaled deeply, taking in as much of his scent as he could. Part of InuYasha wanted to break down sobbing and begging forgiveness and to be let back into the house. The other part of him wanted to get away from Sesshoumaru, wary of the pain he knew would come with being around his older brother. "What are you going to do when the heat comes around?" InuYasha chose to ignore the question. Wasn't it obvious what he would do? He would hole himself up in a room and suffer through it. "Find somewhere secluded," Sesshoumaru advised blandly.

The half demon heard his brother kick a door open and the next thing he knew, he was being laid down on a bed.

"What happened?" Bankotsu asked.

"You were careless and got him in out of his depth. Do you remember what I told you when you first took him in?"

"It's not my fault!"

"I told you that you would be held responsible!...But I'm too busy to deal with you. If it happens again, I swear none of you will live." He turned and left. Inside, he was more than a little shaken. Seeing InuYasha looking so bruised and broken…it scared him a little. And he was furious. Just who did this Naraku think he was, anyways?! He would pay! _Wait, what are you thinking? You cut ties with InuYasha almost a year ago. You're barely even a pack, anymore. So why am I doing this…? _He clenched a fist. _Why am I still getting this worked up over it, after all this time?_ He broke into a light job, eager to get as much distance between him and his younger brother as possible.

InuYasha groaned and opened his eyes. Where was he? Oh. Back at the base. Bankotsu was beside him, looking worried. He sat up slowly. What had happened? Oh…Sesshoumaru had come. He'd saved him, and took him back. The half demon inhaled deeply – the barest traces of Sesshoumaru's scent were still on his clothes. Suddenly, he felt a wave of regret. Before, when he'd first left, those had been common, the lack of his alpha's aura present constantly in his mind. But after a few months, he'd managed to rid himself of the unwanted emotions completely, but now they call came crashing back. He wanted to be in his brother's arms or at least in his house. He didn't belong with these humans. _You don't belong with Sesshoumaru, either,_ he told himself, and yet he couldn't convince himself of the fact.

"What happened with the deal?" Bankotsu asked after a long moment, pulling InuYasha from his thoughts.

"I burned the money. The trade never took place. Menomaru may hate me now for ruining his deal, but not enough to support Naraku when he has nothing to gain from it. Besides, he seems preoccupied with Sesshoumaru, right now."

"Good job."

"I have to take some time off soon." Bankotsu glanced him up and down curiously then his eyes widened.

"Oh, right! Half demon – forgot. Yeah, when is it?"

"I've got about a week. I'll find somewhere secluded."

"Good. I-I mean…"

"Yeah." InuYasha sighed and closed his eyes again. "I'm going to sleep for a bit." The leader of the gang nodded and got up walking away. _The heat…_The thought of it still sent shivers down Bankotsu's spine. He could distinctly remember the way his normally composed, controlled friend looked like a wild beast about to devour him. He recalled how Sesshoumaru's touch, normally soft was suddenly hard and cruel. He'd had bruises where the demon had grabbed him for weeks afterwards. He remembered the feel of that demanding kiss, the power of it making him boneless. Such complete domination. It had terrified him at the time. Still did. Never before had he been so powerless. _Humans can't withstand that kind of passion._

Passion. It seemed contrary to his one-time friend's very nature. Sesshoumaru was supposed to be removed, uncaring, cold. The heat had stripped him of that. It had turned him into an animal. What's more, the two visits reminded him of that time. He hadn't been able to place it until that moment, looking back. The same loss of control was in Sesshoumaru's eyes, hidden deep beneath his mask, but he could see it. The slight trembling of his brows as the focused on maintaining their perfect arcs. The violence of his gaze and miniscule raising of his voice as he accused and threatened him, charging him with the safety of another, living being. A half-breed. The very emblem of his father's transgression, and he was getting so worked up over it. InuYasha affected Sesshoumaru the same way the heat did. _So the question is, why hasn't Sesshoumaru claimed him and chained him to his side? Is he running away from his feelings? I always thought he shamelessly owned everything he felt and thought. Maybe I never knew him as well as I thought I did._

"Bankotsu? Is everything okay?" Jakotsu asked.

"Yeah. Tomorrow, given InuYasha is feeling it, we want to make a raid of their base – a preliminary weakening. Then, in a week we'll make another one, but InuYasha won't be with us."

"So something happening?"

"Yeah…our time to make a big move, I hope. It should work." _They're all demons, so they should be in no condition to fight during the heat…I think. That or they'll rape us all._ _I'll ask InuYasha what he thinks about the plan, I guess._

"You okay?"Jakotsu touched his cheek and trailed his fingers lightly down his neck to his chest. "Not like you to brood so much."

"Sorry." Bankotsu pulled him into a brief kiss. "Just trying not to get us all killed, you know?"Jakotsu kissed him again.

"Well, take a break from that and focus more on relaxing yourself with your lover, okay?" Bankotsu's eyes narrowed predatorily as he pushed Jakotsu out of Inuyasha's room, down the hall, and into his own. Jakotsu grinned and wrapped his arms around his lover's neck. "Oh, Ban-chan, you always make me feel like such a lady," he panted, breaking the kiss. He yanked the other man down onto the bed on top of him, wrapping his arms and legs around him enticingly. The transvestite whimpered and moaned as Bankotsu began to kiss and suck on his neck. "Bankotsu! Oh, Ban-chan!"

"Jakotsu…I'm going to make sweet, passionate love to you," the younger murmured. They'd started officially dating about half a year ago, and ever since then, Bankotsu had gotten very comfortable with his bisexuality and his attraction to Jakotsu.

"Please do."

"Then let's get you out of those lacy panties you're wearing." He slid his hand up under Jakot's skirt – the was wearing a skirt that day – and pulled down his white, lacy underwear, tossing it somewhere over his shoulder. The effeminate man felt his whole body throb with want. Fumbling, he sat up and yanked off the rest of his clothing, kissing Bankotsu desperately. Once he was done divesting himself, he started on the younger man's clothes. Within minutes, they were both completely naked and writhing against each other, bucking their hips wildly as their mouths merged and meshed. Jakotsu shivered as strong, calloused hands traced lightly over his body, teasing little whimpers and moans from him as they mapped out every curve and rippling muscle.

"Ba-Bankotsu…feels good." The younger man now moved his hands to pinch and roll the other's nipples. "Ah!" He gasped as Bankotsu teased those over-sensitized buds. The long-haired man grinned and licked a long line up the center of his lover's stomach and chest. Then, he ducked and pressed his tongue against his puckered, pink entrance, massaging. "AH!" the shriek that Jakotsu let out was positively inhuman as he flung his head back, arching. "Please! D-d-don't tease!" he keened. The younger shoved his tongue into that entrance, hands clamping around his older lover's waist to keep him still. After a bit of that, he withdrew, smirking when the transvestite grabbed his hand and began to lave his fingers with hi tongue despite the bottle of lube just a mere arm's length away in the nightstand drawer. He sucked enthusiastically on the man's fingers, whimpering when they were pulled away.

"Don't worry, you'll like this," Bankotsu purred, pushing the first digit in. Jakotsu arched, thrusting his hips back against him. Eagerly, the younger added a second, beginning to scissor them. "Is it good?"

"Good! Good! Oh, God, yes!"

"So wanton, my love."

"Take me, Nii-chan!"

"Gladly." He added a third finger, not even having to search to rub it up against that spot inside his lover that made him howl with pleasure.

"Now! Please!" he panted, his chest heaving with passion. And who was Bankotsu to deny him? He removed his fingers and lined up his weeping arousal. In one, smooth thrust, he completely impaled the slightly taller man, who arched and moaned, tightening his legs around his waist. "Move!" he begged, and again, Bankotsu obliged, drawing out and pushing back in with hard, fast thrusts.

InuYasha covered his ears, but he couldn't block the sounds out. Jakotsu was practically screaming – no doubt everyone could hear them, though most people could put in head-phones and ignore it. InuYasha doubted that would help much, even if he had headphones to put in. Bankotsu was grunting and sweet-talking him through panting breaths. And he could hear the slapping of skin on skin and the creaking the of the bed and the head board banging against the wall. The image of Sesshoumaru looming over him, pounding him into the mattress, arose unbidden in his mind and his body immediately reacted. _Shit. This isn't good,_ he thought. _Why did I think of that now, after all this time?_ Though he knew why. He could still smell his brother on his clothes, even if the scent was stale. He'd just felt his body heat, his aura, his arms. He'd heard his voice, smelled his scent. It was all too fresh in his memory and it was driving him insane as the memories of their blissful week together worked him into a state of heavy arousal. In his private fantasy, it wasn't Jakotsu screaming Bankotsu's name but rather him screaming his brother's. In his mind, their bodies were moving and arching with each other perfectly, fitting into each other like puzzle-pieces. Sesshoumaru was deep inside of him, relentlessly pounding into him while whispering about how good it felt and how much he loved him. Those words Sesshoumaru never really said. Moaning, InuYasha grabbed his red, leather pants and shoved them down. Hastily, he flipped over onto his stomach, pressed his face into the pillow and pushed two fingers into his throbbing hole. A groan escaped him. It felt nothing like Sesshoumaru. He wrapped his free hand around himself. He was so much more calloused than his brother. The difference was astonishing, and Sesshoumaru was just better at it than he was.

"Agh! S-S-Sesshoumaru!" he cried as he came, spasms running through his body. He collapsed, quivering. _How long has it been,_ he mused, _since I've done that? _Then, he noticed he'd forgotten to take his necklace off for his little jacking-off session. _Great…Sesshoumaru felt that…_He moaned for a different reason now and opted to go to sleep instead of deal with thinking about it. Wasn't like he'd ever hear from his brother again, anyways.

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Oh, my gosh, guys. Sorry for the wait on this (rather disappointing) update! Transition chapters are the hardest! And I feel like every time I write a transition, it's about InuYasha jacking off! Agh, such a perv. Anyways, I just lost my inspiration for a week or so, but it's back now. Thanks for your patience!


	13. Chapter 13

Hey, sorry about the wait on the update. Here it is though! Anyways, in other news, several of my stories are getting removed from , so I'm moving to a new site (note the hyphen and it's .org, not .com!) so please look there for new stories, the username is the same as it is here. I will be trying to finish these stories on this site, but if they get removed, there's not much I can do about that, now is there? Honestly, I don't like the formatting and mechanics of as much as I do , but oh well. Anyways, thank you for your readership!

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InuYasha huddled in the empty storage unit he'd broken into. Tucking in his knees to his chest, he wrapped his arms around himself and longed for someone to come touch him. A humiliating whine escaped him. Never before had he ever felt this lonely and miserable. It was killing him. He wanted his pack. His alpha. His brother. He wanted to be accepted. Another pang of agony seared through him and he groaned, flopping onto his side. _I want to die,_ he thought. _I would rather die than live alone like this._ To his shame and horror, tears rose up in his eyes, but he was in too much pain to fight them down. They spilled down his cheeks, cool on his heated skin, and dripped onto the hard floor.

Sesshoumaru sat on his bed in his room, glowering out the window. He could feel his brother's misery, heightened by the symptoms of the heat. For dog demons, to be alone like this, it was the worst thing in the world, and now, at this specific moment which he was supposed to be spending united with his mate, the Hanyou's sorrow had reached a paramount high, increasing Sesshoumaru's own suffering. For a year he had staved off the sorrow, the loneliness, the guilt. _Shit!_ He couldn't do it anymore. Not when his body was weary and lonely and aching, like this. The phone rang. Miroku called weekly to see if InuYasha had come back. He still didn't know anything about where the boy was. Snarling, Sesshoumaru answered it, though he didn't really know why.

"I know the heat started today, so I thought InuYasha might have-" the boy started without even greeting the demon first.

"He's not back."

"Don't you even care?! He's your brother! Don't you want to know where he is?! What he's doing! He could be dead for all we know!" the monk exploded, furious.

"Shut up!" Sesshoumaru spat.

"What kind of alpha are you? How can you sleep at night?! How can you live with yourself knowing you've abandoned him like this?!"

"**He** abandoned **me**, monk! Don't you **dare** accuse me of being an improper alpha!" the demon snarled. When his brother's friend only continued to rant, he hung up, hurling the phone across the room. _Dammit! When are you going to come home, already?!_ Suddenly he froze. _What did I just think? Do I…_**_want_**_ him to come back? Seriously? _He stared down at his hands. _I was the one that pushed him away. No one could live with someone treating them the way I did him. Of course he left, but…but…did I want him to stay anyways? _He swallowed hard. He could remember vividly, still that afternoon in the car. He remembered pinning him to the seat. He could almost feel those same sensations as he slammed into that tight, lithe body, blood quickly slickening the way. He could still hear the howls of pain – more than just physical. He remembered the distinct lack of pleasure. Not even sadistic satisfaction. His heart still ached with the despair and betrayal upon reading InuYasha's note. See you never again. Never…that was forever. Forever was too long to go on feeling like this. With that realization came a sudden wave of desperation. In a blur, he was tearing towards the door, not even bothering to put up his concealment charm before dashing out of the house and down the street.

InuYasha's eyes flew open as the door to his storage unit slammed open. There stood his brother, panting, hair mussed, clothes rumpled, no concealing spell to speak of. The half demon's heart froze then started up at twice it's usual speed. _What is he doing here? Oh, God, I'm going to lose it!_ In an instant, the demon was over to him, kneeling beside him. He couldn't stop his body. He grabbed his older brother and dragged him close, kissing his mouth feverishly. A shiver of pleasure ran down his spin when the demon responded just as eagerly. Suddenly, he came back to himself, yanking away with much physical effort.

"No!" he rasped. Sesshoumaru recoiled slightly, his impassive mask slipping to reveal a hurt and confused expression, though he quickly covered it up with anger.

"No?" he repeated in a deadly hiss.

"What are you going to do about it? Rape me, again?" To the younger's utter shock, his brother pulled back even further at this. Then, the older man launched forward, wrapping his arms around the boy and hugging him tightly against his chest. A whine of need escaped the demon's throat.

"I-InuYasha…" he whispered.

"I won't just be your toy to get through the heat!" the half demon stubbornly refused, struggling fruitlessly to push his brother away.

"I…didn't come for that," Sesshoumaru admitted, clinging tighter to the struggling pup. "I came because you're miserable and I'm miserable and…and when are you going to come home, InuYasha?"The boy hesitated. _Is he…asking me…to come home? Why would he…?_

"I told you, never! I ran away for good!" He tried to push away again and failed as his alpha clung tighter to him, basically pulling him into his lap.

"Don't be ridiculous! You hate it out here without me as much as I hate it there without you!" The words slipped out before Sesshoumaru could censor them. Both of them gasped, shocked. "I-I mean…"

"What…what do you mean? For real?" InuYasha asked. "I can never tell what you're really feeling, so if you want me to know, you've got to tell me."

"You're my pack. You're all I've got left in this world. You aren't allowed to abandon me like everyone else."

"A-abandon you? You raped me!"

"That's because you were leaving me for those…those **humans**! I was angry, and I hated it, and I'm sorry!" Again, the uncensored truth. _Sesshoumaru just apologized…to me?_ The older demon wouldn't look him straight in the face, his eyes suddenly quite interested in a bug crawling across the cement. InuYasha cupped his cheek, guiding him to look up at him. What he saw in his brother's face was pain and sorrow and remorse. Slowly, he leaned in and placed his mouth over the demon's. Sesshoumaru let out a soft sigh and returned the kiss, shifting to lay InuYasha on his back. Their kiss intensified as the needs of the heat began to take over, again. Fingers fumbled with clothes, and this time, the half-breed allowed himself to be lost to the sensations, keening softly as he popped open the buttons on his brother's shirt. Pushing the cloth off his shoulders, he ran a hand over the older man's chest. Before he could really comprehend what was happening, he was naked and pressed up against Sesshoumaru, their bodies rubbing urgently together.

"A-Aniki!" he gasped out, clinging onto those broad shoulders for dear life. His brother silenced him with a ferocious kiss that left him breathless and wanting for more. The demon, suddenly pulled away, but before InuYasha could protest, something hot and stiff and throbbing was being placed at his entrance. He flung his head back. "Do it," he half-whispered, half-moaned. A groan of mixed pain and pleasure issued from his lips as the demon slowly began to push forward. Sesshoumaru bit his lip, trembling with the effort it took not to just slam into his brother's body and pound into him. He didn't want that. There was no satisfaction in that. Once he was fully inside, he leaned down and kissed InuYasha, again, sliding his tongue into his mouth.

"InuYasha," he purred into his mouth, meticulously licking every inch of that hot, damp cavern. The half demon whimpered and shifted his hips, trying to get used to the feeling of something that large invading him.

"S-Sessh…I'm…I'm ready." The demon let out a sigh of relief, pulled back, and pushed back in, causing them both to gasp at the sensations. He repeated the motion, a breathy moan escaping his lips as the younger boy arched his hips to guide him deeper. "Ahhh…S-Sesshoumaru!" The older brother pushed back in again, harder and faster this time. And again. And again. And again. Each time building speed and force until he was hammering into InuYasha's body, delighting in his pleasured moans and gasps. Hastily, he removed the necklace from around his brother's neck and leaned up to lick and kiss one of those cute, furry ears atop his head. "Ah! Sessh…ou…ma…ru!" The older brother wrapped his arms around the younger, clinging to him as he thrust into him as hard and fast as he could.

"Is it good?" he whispered. "Tell me how it feels…to have me in you."

"I-it's good. Feels…like I'm whole…again."

"It feels the same…for me." InuYasha bowed his head, nestling his face into the crook of Sesshoumaru's neck, where he kissed and sucked hungrily, leaving a large, damp bruise.

"So close…ah! Aniki…! AH!" The younger convulsed, coming hard all over their chests as Sesshoumaru continued to pound into that over-sensitized body. The teen leaned up to kiss the older man, sucking his tongue into his mouth, his arousal already growing, again. The demon's hips snapped forward, losing their rhythm as he neared his own climax.

"Inu…Yasha," he panted softly. His younger brother groaned, incapable of actual words, as he writhed against Sesshoumaru's thrusts, trying to get more friction, as each time he slammed into his prostate. "Ah! InuYasha!" Sesshoumaru gasped as his seed shot forth, washing over the half-breed's insides. That feeling was what brought InuYasha to his own, mind-blowing high as he arched and released for a second time.

"Sesshoumaru!" he cried as his essence painted their chests and stomachs, cooling on their feverish skin along with their sweat. The demon stayed embedded deeply within him, propped up on his elbows over him, as they caught their breath, each just taking in each other's scent.

"Don't abandon me, InuYasha. I'll do whatever it takes to convince you to come home. So don't…don't leave me alone, again," Sesshoumaru whispered. The teen let out a deep sigh and kissed him, again, instead of replying. "I see…" the demon murmured. "Well, at least I've got this week to try to change your mind…though I wish you'd have chosen somewhere more comfortable."

"I wasn't planning on having company."

"Silly you. It's my duty as your alpha to take care of you…during this time of need." InuYasha rolled hid eyes.

"Sure, and it's got nothing to do with **you** needing relief, too." Sesshoumaru kissed him fiercely and shook his head.

"Relief from the heat? Absolutely not. I've gone through the heat on my own enough times. Relief from the…loneliness…that's a different story." InuYasha tilted his head curiously, tracing his thumb over his brother's cheek. He looked worn out and ill-kempt.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly. The demon dropped his head down onto the teen's shoulder.

"No," he whispered. "I'm really not." InuYasha sighed and wrapped his arms around his brother. "Come home, InuYasha. Please come home." The younger brother exhaled deeply and nodded. He brushed his lips against his brothers.

"Fine. But…but on one condition. I need to know…how you actually feel about me…and you have to treat me right." Sesshoumaru sat up, staring at InuYasha. He'd spent a lot of time pondering how he felt about InuYasha.

"H-honestly…I can never make up my mind about how…I feel about you. But here's what I **do** know. I want to protect you. I want to monopolize you. I want you to only see me. I want to hear your laugh and see your smile, but I also want to see your tears. I can't stand the thought that you hate me, and I…I feel **guilty** when I hurt you, and I hate it. I want you around. You make me feel weak, and irrational – which is irritating – and yet these past months that you've been gone have been the absolute worst, most miserable months of my life." InuYasha felt his heart swell with the integrity of the empowering words he never thought he'd hear from his brother. Never had he thought Sesshoumaru would be able to confess his own weakness, to honestly say he wanted a **half-demon**, to lower himself to **asking** something from him. This time, when he kissed him, it was firmer, more sure.

"Alright, Sesshoumaru. I'll come home." _Home,_ he thought. _This is the first time that I've really felt like I've had one._


End file.
